As reported by Gurgen Mardoyan, a systems engineer at National Instruments, the exhibition features the first prototype that reaches speeds of up to 90 km/h, with a single charge sufficient for 40 km of travel.
The car is equipped with an autonomous system – it has a video camera that detects objects around it, a radar system that identifies objects, measures their angle and speed, as well as equipment for optical distance measurements.
"The engineering sector worldwide is developing in two directions – electric vehicles and autonomous cars. In Armenia, we decided to combine these two directions – designing, developing, and testing various components for an autonomous vehicle, and we created the first prototype of an electric car that was built from scratch," said Mardoyan.
According to him, all systems are tested in laboratory conditions on a specially developed simulator.
He noted that the company is currently trying to commercialize the project, and with investments, another model could be presented as early as mid-2018.
For his part, designer, project author, and owner of the electric vehicle David Gevorkyan stated that the feature of the presented electric car is that it can be assembled based on a regular car.
"You can create an electric vehicle concept from scratch, or you can transform an existing car, while independently specifying its parameters. Moreover, it will be able to compete with ready-made electric vehicles from leading automakers," said Gevorkyan.
He also noted that he is ready to establish electric vehicle production in Armenia if appropriate investments are available.
"To produce an electric vehicle, $6-8 thousand is needed, but if mass production can be established, the cost could be significantly reduced," said Gevorkyan.
