Meet Honda AWV, a workhorse that doesn’t need a driver

The charming vehicle in our gallery here is none other than the latest generation of Honda’s AWV model, a compact self-driving EV designed for industrial use.

The company used a pre-production sample on a Black & Veatch construction site in New Mexico, where it helped build a 120-megawatt solar power station last month.

The AWV comes based on the Honda Pioneer UTV chassis and can carry up to 720 kg (1,587 lbs) of cargo. It can also tow trailers weighing up to 750 kg (1,653 lbs) and offers 45 kilometers (28 miles) of driving range after spending six hours plugged into a regular wall socket.

Most importantly, the vehicle supports remote operator control and can map and follow routes autonomously using a GPS module, multiple cameras, a radar and a LiDAR.

Honda says it continues developing the model for mass-market use and has no release schedule just yet.