EasyMile will begin testing on-demand autonomous shuttle fleets in Hamburg, Germany, in 2021.
The tests will run from August to October, with three EZ10 Gen3 shuttles operating in real-word conditions as part of the living laboratory Hamburg, RealLabHH, according to a news release.
Along with EasyMile, Continental Automotive, public transport provider Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH), Institute for Transport Systems Technology of the DLR (German Aerospace Center) and vehicle inspection company DEKRA Automobil GmbH are part of the pilot project.
Bergedorf, the suburban district where testing will take place, has about 36,000 residents who “meet a high demand for individual and seamless mobility.” The shuttles will connect the district to the suburban railway system. Adding the on-demand shuttle service is expected to close the gaps in first and last mile transportation between people’s homes and the next public transport hub.
The shuttles can hold up to 12 passengers and will operate at about 11 mph. A service assistant from local transport provider VHH will be on board the shuttles, monitoring trips and ready to intervene if necessary. Residents can book trips on-demand via an app and ride for free during the trial.
The DLR Institute of Transportation Systems will provide the software for scheduling the shuttles while Continental is transferring industrialized products such as braking technology, sensors for environmental perception and position determination as well as digital mobility services. Experts from the DEKRA Technology Center are supporting the vehicle registration process.
Findings from the project will “serve as a recommendation for the metropolitan area of Hamburg on how to implement autonomous technology in an existing traffic network.” Findings also will be presented at the 2021 ITS World Congress, the largest congress for intelligent transport systems.
