Fully autonomous buses that transport their passengers safely from one stop to the next without a driver: For many people, this still sounds like a vision of the future. However, one company is bringing it one step closer – right in the middle of NRW. The globally active technology company ADASTEC, which has its own R&D office in Turkey, recently established a branch in Düsseldorf. From here, it intends to further expand its presence on the German market and revolutionize local public transport in Germany with its technology.
Since its foundation in 2018, ADASTEC has been developing innovative automation solutions for public transport. This technology enables vehicles to drive completely autonomously in predefined scenarios and environments – such as predefined routes for public buses. The company has implemented this innovation in its flowride.ai platform, which can be integrated into electrically powered buses. The advantage: it is not a retrofit, but the solution is integrated directly into the production of the vehicles. This makes it a scalable alternative that is ready for series production. With the help of various sensors, radars and cameras, a bus equipped with this technology can handle driving situations in different weather conditions, day and night and in mixed traffic.
ADASTEC is launching its first project in Hanover from its new location in North Rhine-Westphalia, where it will test its technology in real public transportation conditions. The project will use an eight-meter-long bus with 20 seats to transport passengers to 13 stops along a seven-kilometer route. ADASTEC has successfully implemented its automated bus solutions in markets such as Sweden, Finland, and the United States, and has been active in over 12 regions worldwide thus far.