This friendly driverless car has ditched the steering wheel and pedals

This is the first look at a driverless car which could be the future of public transport.

The Smart Vision EQ ForTwo is a fully-autonomous electrical vehicle.

The concept car has no steering wheel or pedals, the first in the Damiler Group to get rid of the features.

It will greet them with a friendly message when it arrives at their chosen pick-up location.

“The Smart Vision EQ ForTwo is our vision of future urban mobility,” says Smart chief executive officer Annette Winkler.

“It is the most radical car sharing concept car of all: fully autonomous, with maximum communication capabilities, friendly, comprehensively personalisable and, of course, electric.”

Once operational, people would hail a car on their mobile, similar to how people request an Uber now. LED displays on the Black Panel at the front will explain the car’s status, alerting pedestrians and other road users to it’s next move.

When not in demand, the vehicle will make its way independently to a charging station to load up with new energy. It features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 30 kWh.

Alternatively, the cars can dock with the power grid inductively, feed in electricity and act as a “swarm battery”, taking pressure off the grid.

A spokesman for Smart said: “Thanks to swarm intelligence and the resulting predictability of demand, it will probably already be nearby, making the journey to pick up a “hire car” a thing of the past. The interconnected vehicles are always on the road.

“Utilisation increases and at the same time the amount of traffic and the number of parking spaces required in urban areas are reduced.”

Possible passengers will be suggested on the basis of their saved profiles and current travel plans.