Following the success which Google and the Berlin University Research team had with their driverless cars, the University of Parma's Vislab researchers have raised the bar and made their automated vehicles electric – and vans.
Small van insurance and panel van insurance may see some strange changes in the future as Parma's four small orange panel vans are not only completely self sufficient, with rechargeable batteries and solar-panels on their roofs, but they have no driver.
The little vans drove into the history books when they made the huge journey from Parma, Italy to Shanghai, China – an 8,000 mile trip.
One of the vans even stopped to pick up a hitch-hiker along the way.
Like the Googlebots and the automated Berlin Taxi the Parma vans work using video cameras and lasers that see the road and help the van carefully avoid obstacles, be they buildings or other road vehicles.
The electric vans run at 38 mph, and need 8 hours of charging time every two to three hours during their journeys.
There are no reports, as of yet, regarding the cost of small van insurance for the vehicles, but with relatively low power in the battery powered engine, they are unlikely to be rated in a high insurance group.