Karsan, which has become a global brand in public transportation, has achieved another success by bringing autonomous driving technology to the center of Europe. The brand's model Autonomous e-ATAK, which has made its name known with the great successes it has achieved, has managed to become the first autonomous public transportation vehicle to receive approval from the KBA (Kraftfahrt Bundesamt - Federal Motor Transport Authority) - the official institution responsible for road traffic regulations in Germany. With this approval, Karsan's Level-4 Autonomous e-ATAK, developed with its technology partner ADASTEC, has become the first autonomous bus to operate on public roads within the scope of the Albus Project in Hannover, Germany. This step represents a first brought to life by Turkish engineering in Europe's most strictly regulated market. Karsan CEO Okan Baş, who made evaluations on the subject, said, “As a pioneer brand that leads the autonomous public transportation transformation, we are progressing with a structure that not only adapts but also sets standards in this field. Entering the field with the autonomous e-ATAK in one of the markets where regulations are applied most strictly, such as Germany, reveals not only our technical competence but also our visionary approach. Our Level-4 autonomous full-size bus, which will start providing service on public roads in Germany, symbolizes Karsan’s determined stance in the mobility transformation in Europe. This success, which we have achieved together with our technology partner ADASTEC, is a strong indicator that the level Türkiye has reached in software and automotive engineering is accepted even in the most advanced markets of Europe.”
Playing a pioneering role in the transformation of the world’s public transportation infrastructure with its electric and autonomous vehicles, Karsan continues to attract the attention of sector authorities with its innovative models and pioneering technologies. Able to produce and offer users three technologies simultaneously: electric, autonomous and hydrogen, Karsan has achieved another significant success with the Autonomous e-ATAK, the world’s first Level-3 public transportation vehicle that can move without a driver on a planned route. In this context, the 4-meter Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK was approved by the Federal Motor Transport Association (KBA – Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), the authority authorized for road traffic regulations directly affiliated with the Ministry of Transport in Germany. With this approval, which paves the way for autonomous driving in public areas within the scope of the Albus Project in Germany, Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK will operate on a 8-kilometer route on line 906 in Burgdorf, Hannover. Autonomous e-ATAK, which will take part in the Albus Project supported by the German Ministry of Transport, manages 7 traffic lights on its route covering 13 stops; it passes intersections, pedestrian crossings and complex urban maneuvers at a constant speed of 10 km/h, strongly demonstrating the field maturity of Level-40 driving technology with the flowride.ai software developed by technology partner ADASTEC.
Demo rides will be held for a year!
Karsan CEO Okan Baş said that this approval is a strong indicator of trust in Karsan technology in a market with strict regulations such as Germany, and added, “This also means that we will be able to perform autonomous driving in open traffic in Germany within the scope of the Hannover Albus Project. Considering the key role played by KBA in German road traffic regulations, this development also reinforces the trust of operators in autonomous vehicle technology in Germany. Another important point is that the Autonomous e-ATAK is the first vehicle to receive Level-4 autonomous driving approval in public transportation in Germany.” Emphasizing that Karsan continues to lead the transformation of autonomous public transportation not only in Türkiye but also in Europe, Okan Baş continued as follows: “Autonomous e-ATAK, which we developed with our business partner in the software field ADASTEC, has been used in Europe since 2022. As of today, more than 3 of our electric vehicles continue to serve in 27 countries spread over 1.500 continents. With Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK, which has won many awards to date, we have signed 11 autonomous projects in 12 countries from America to Europe. Our autonomous vehicles have carried 4 thousand passengers in 35 years and reached over 100 thousand kilometers of autonomous driving urban road experience. Moreover, we have achieved a significant part of this in weather conditions such as -25 degrees, where even conventional motor vehicles have difficulty. In addition, Autonomous e-ATAK has added an 2022-meter-long tunnel passage to its route in Stavanger, Norway, where it has been serving since 800, and It became the first driverless vehicle to pass through a tunnel in Europe. We will expand the usage area of our vehicle, which has achieved such great success, with our Rotterdam Airport in the Netherlands and Arbon in Switzerland projects in the upcoming period.” Dr. Ali Peker, CEO of ADASTEC, the technology partner of Autonomous e-ATAK, made the following assessment regarding this collaboration: “In one of the most meticulous markets in the world in terms of regulation and security, such as Germany, the fact that our flowride.ai platform has received KBA approval proves that we have a field-tested, reliable and mature technology. Together with Karsan, we are opening the doors to autonomous transportation in Europe; we are contributing to the smart cities of the future today. This is not just a project, but a strong business partnership that is the pioneer of the mobility transformation in Europe.”
Ready for service with a full charge in just 3 hours!
Equipped with the Advanced Sensor Package, Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK uses a combination of LiDAR, Radar, RGB Cameras, GNSS and state-of-the-art sensors that work together to provide precise navigation and situational awareness in different weather conditions. Powered by a 220 kWh battery pack developed by BMW, the 8,3-meter-long Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK stands out as a sustainable, high-capacity transit solution that can efficiently meet urban transportation demands. The bus’ ability to fully charge in 5 hours with AC units and in 3 hours with DC units ensures that the vehicle is always ready for service.
