ZF Mobility Solutions has received authorisation from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) to test a Level 4 system for autonomous driving (AD) on public roads throughout Germany. Previously, the individual authorisations granted applied to clearly defined stretches of road or urban areas. The approval marks a milestone in the development of autonomous mobility solutions: As a development and consulting service provider, the ZF subsidiary can now support partners particularly quickly and efficiently in the implementation of sustainable transport transition projects for local public transport. For the first time, ZF Mobility Solutions used the extended authorisation for a project in North Rhine-Westphalia: The short-term use of an autonomous transport system (ATS) was trialled in Düsseldorf on behalf of Rheinbahn AG.
‘The Germany-wide Level 4 test authorisation for our autonomous driving system marks a significant step towards autonomous mobility in local public transport. The KBA approval is a catalyst for the use of autonomous transport systems throughout Germany, and therefore also for the entire industry,’ says Alexander Makowski, Head of ZF Mobility Solutions.
‘We can now test autonomous mobility systems in a wide variety of environments – from urban centres to rural regions. In future, we will no longer need a separate test licence for this. This will save our customers time and money. They can now implement urban and regional transport projects faster, more cost-optimised and more efficiently,’ explains Makowski.
Pioneering approval for highly automated driving
The test authorisation provides important insights for the further development of autonomous mobility solutions, the use of which offers potential for greater safety, efficiency and sustainability in transport. It helps to bring the technology to market maturity and further develop operational framework conditions. The focus here is on local public – and therefore urban and regional – transport. Motorways, motorways and roads with a maximum permissible speed of more than 100 km/h are therefore excluded from the approval. The authorisation is valid until the end of 2026 and can then be extended until the end of 2028.
Successful ATS deployment with Rheinbahn AG in Düsseldorf
The first ATS deployment following the receipt of the extended authorisation took place in North Rhine-Westphalia in February: in Düsseldorf, ZF Mobility Solutions tested the short-term use of an autonomous mobility solution with a safety driver on public roads on behalf of Rheinbahn AG. As part of XPONENTIAL, the leading trade fair for autonomous technologies and robotics, and the subsequent customer days, public transport operators and representatives of cities and local authorities were given the opportunity to ride in an autonomous transport system. Interested visitors were also able to register for the free test drives between the trade fair car park and the exhibition halls.
‘Autonomous driving is a crucial building block for the transport revolution and a further step towards seamless, inclusive and sustainable mobility. The recent nationwide approval strengthens our resolve to continue practical implementation with partners, to learn together and to drive innovative mobility solutions forward,’ says Annette Grabbe, Spokeswoman of the Board of Management, Labour Director and CFO of Rheinbahn AG.
ZF Mobility Solutions supported Rheinbahn AG in the implementation of the autonomous public transport trials. The focus is on the organisational and technical qualification of operations. Specifically, this involves advisory activities in the selection and evaluation of potential routes, mapping them and drawing up the requirements profile for hardware and software. ZF Mobility Solutions is also responsible for commissioning, carrying out the trials and subsequently surveying the test subjects for development purposes.
Baden-Württemberg: RABus pioneer in autonomous driving
ZF Mobility Solutions has already gained experience and development expertise in the context of highly automated driving functions and knowledge of approval and authorisation processes for Level 4 vehicle platforms in the RABus project. For two selected routes in the Baden-Württemberg cities of Friedrichshafen and Mannheim, the project partners were one of the first to receive a Level 4 test licence from the KBA last year in accordance with the nationally applicable Autonomous Vehicle Approval and Operation Ordinance (AFGBV) – we reported here:
and here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/autonomous-in-mannheim-rabus/ .
In accordance with the AFGBV, the consortium partners developed a shuttle specifically for the RABus project that fulfils the technical requirements of mixed traffic. To this end, the technology group ZF has entered into a project-related partnership with the shuttle manufacturer eVersum from Austria, which is supplying four electric shuttles for the project that have been equipped with the latest AD technology from ZF.
The project, which is subsidised by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport, was extended by Minister Winfried Hermann in Friedrichshafen at the end of last year. The ZF subsidiary is using the extended project duration to further advance the technical development and create additional test opportunities to further optimise the ZF system used for autonomous driving under real conditions.
‘With RABus, Baden-Württemberg has done pioneering work in autonomous driving with shuttle buses. For me, the nationwide authorisation to operate the RABus throughout Germany is a kind of accolade for the project. The findings from the state are now helping to further develop autonomous mobility systems nationwide and bring them closer to market maturity at SAE Level 4. I am particularly pleased that North Rhine-Westphalia and its project partners are also driving this topic forward and pulling together with us. This is creating valuable synergies that will strengthen autonomous public transport in Germany as a whole. In Baden-Württemberg, we are also continuing to work on laying the foundations for this intelligent technology,’ says Winfried Hermann, Minister of Transport for Baden-Württemberg.
‘In Baden-Württemberg, we have trialled and proven the use of autonomous mobility systems in real-life operations in the RABus project,’ says Alexander Makowski. ‘Other cities and municipalities can now benefit from this expertise.’
