The first self-driving shuttle in the United States collided with a lorry two hours after it was launched in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, though no one was hurt.
The police said the driver of the lorry was at fault.
“The shuttle did what it was supposed to do, in that its sensors registered the truck and the shuttle stopped to avoid the accident,” the City of Las Vegas said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the delivery truck did not stop and grazed the front fender of the shuttle. Had the truck had the same sensing equipment that the shuttle has, the accident would have been avoided.”
The shuttle will continue to be tested for a year.
During its trial, the electric shuttle will provide free rides on a 0.6-mile loop in the city’s “Innovation District”. It has “smart-city infrastructure” and communicates with traffic signals through algorithms, the city’s official statement said.
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