Test drive: 2021 Honda Ridgeline
The Honda Ridgeline has been redesigned for 2021 to make it look more like a traditional pickup, but Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu says it remains a unique option in the midsize class.
Honda's latest pickup can haul without a human.
The automaker has begun testing an Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV) at a 1,000-acre solar farm in New Mexico that's being built by Black and Veatch.
The AWS is built on the platform of a 4x4 Honda Pioneer UTV converted to run on electricity and equipped with a drop-side pickup body large enough for a standard pallet and a friendly-looking front fascia with round headlights.
The vehicle uses cameras, radar, lidar and GPS location technology to navigate between programmed waypoints and can also be operated via remote control.
Along with a 900-pound payload capacity it can also tow up to 1,600 pounds and has an operating range of up to 27.9 miles per charge.
Honda is aiming to make a commercially viable version of the vehicle and AWS project lead Kenton Williams said the company looking for business partners to further develop it.
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"Honda's ultimate goal is to make this technology available and more useful to a variety of industries."
Black and Veatch is currently using the vehicle to transport material and supplies across the construction site.
This story has been updated to correct the location of the solar facility