Bengaluru-based self driving startup Minus Zero has taken the wraps off its 'Z Pod' all-electric autonomous self driving vehicle prototype. The prototype vehicle can seat a total of four passengers, with opposed seating.
Designed as a completely autonomous vehicle, the Z Pod does not have a steering wheel and uses cameras coupled with AI algorithms to make its way through traffic. The Z Pod does not use LIDAR but uses a total to six cameras (three each at the front and back).
The company claims that the complexity of self-driving cars can be solved not by stacking up more sensors or petabytes of data, but by making the AI more intuitive using what it calls 'True Vision Autonomy.'
The processing unit, used on the Z Pod, consumes less power than a gaming computer used to play GTA 5, claimed the company. It is not targeting direct commercial sales of the vehicle but eyeing sales to ride hailing services or shared mobility services firms.
The vehicle unveiled today is built on a platform that has potential for additional models in future, company officials told Mobility Outlook.
The start-up had raised $1.7 million in seed funding round in May 2023 led by Chiratae Ventures.
Minus Zero was founded by Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra in 2021 and the start-up claims to be the first Indian company to have tested an autonomous vehicle on public roads in India.
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