Driverless Pods: From Technology Demonstrators to Desirable Mobility Solutions

The advancement in automated vehicle technology allows for the application in new fields such as last mile mobility solutions. Whilst still in an early stage, some prototypes have been built with trials taking place on public roads. The main focus for this kind of vehicle however lies with proving the feasibility and subsequently the reliability of the technology. Relatively little attention has thus far been paid to the passenger comfort experience. However, it is argued here that this will become the most critical user requirement and hence the aim of this paper is to introduce a conceptual comfort framework for the design of such future vehicles and analyse and compare the current concepts in the context of the passenger comfort experience.