London-based design studio PriestmanGoode is working with autonomous network transit (ANT) company Dromos Technologies to develop an electric autonomous vehicle for high capacity urban transport.
PriestmanGoode was selected to develop the visual design for the vehicles following an international competition. The judges were impressed by the way PriestmanGoode had developed a modular vehicle with the user experience at its heart and that allows maximum flexibility of use. Today, the two companies unveil the initial design vision for the new vehicles. Lars Herold, CEO of Dromos Technologies says “We were impressed with PriestmanGoode’s design expertise and experience with high capacity transport vehicles. Their ability to understand both passenger and business needs means they’re the ideal partner to design a vehicle for our high capacity system, which re-imagines mass transit for the 21st century. Moreover, their wide range of skills from design, CX, material development, and visualization means we’re able to work more efficiently, with an integrated design approach.”
Paul Priestman, Designer, and Chairman of PriestmanGoode say “We’re delighted to have won the competition to work with Dromos Technologies on the design of these new autonomous vehicles. We’ve been working in the transport sector for many years and have seen countless ideas developed in that time. This is really the first ANT that meets both convenience and capacity requirements. It’s the first system we’ve seen that offers true potential as a form of high-volume mass transit.” Priestman adds: “This type of mass transit has become even more relevant now. Not only does it answer the first and last mile problem, which is one of the key issues we’re always trying to solve in public transport, but it’s also particularly suitable for a post-pandemic world where passengers are more concerned about hygiene and safety. It enables us to maintain high volumes of passengers, whilst enabling social distancing, as passengers would share vehicles only with their own travel party.”
The competition brief from Dromos was to design a safe, reliable, and affordable vehicle around principles of innovation, modularity, sustainability, convenience, maintainability, and versatility. Dan Window, Creative Director at PriestmanGoode says ‘We designed the vehicle around the user. We thought about what types of passengers would use the vehicle, what they would carry, what they would do, what accessibility requirements they might have… it’s been designed from the inside out. Every element has been considered to ensure that Dromos is flexible and suitable for a wide range of users.’ PriestmanGoode describes the design as ‘approachable minimalism’. There are no extraneous elements, every detail serves a specific purpose. The design was created to be easy and efficient to manufacture, as well as maintain, and to enable maximum passenger comfort. The colors, materials, and finishes are being developed taking into account the latest material technology and increased passenger considerations around hygiene. Maria Kafel-Bentkowska, Head of CMF at PriestmanGoode explains: “The last few months have changed priorities in terms of materials and finishes. Hygiene has really come to the fore, and we’ve been working with suppliers to work on finding ways we can satisfy stricter hygiene standards as well as keep sustainability at the forefront. PriestmanGoode and Dromos Technologies are currently working on finalizing the design for production.
