Pioneering the transformation of public transport around the world, especially in Europe, with the vision of being “One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility”, Karsan continues to break new grounds. Having shaped its investment strategy by foreseeing the electric transformation in public transport, Karsan continuously cements its leading position in the sector. The transformation movement that started with the e-JEST, the company’s first fully electric model introduced in 2018, went to another dimension with the Autonomous e-ATAK, which hit the road at the beginning of 2021. With Autonomous e-ATAK, the first vehicle in the sector to have level-four autonomous technology, Karsan has broken new ground once more.
It smoothly passes through the 800-meter tunnel
Dubbed the first vehicle in Europe to carry passengers in the city with autonomous ticketing, the Autonomous e-ATAK’s route has been updated in Stavanger, Norway, where it has been in service since 2022. Autonomous e-ATAK, which has reached another significant milestone with its advanced mapping technology, has begun to pass through the 800-meter-long tunnel, extending its current route in Stavanger. Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK, which has started to provide service on a more challenging route due to the intersections and traffic lights, has become Europe’s first self-driving public transport vehicle that can go through a tunnel. Karsan CEO Okan Baş, who stated that Karsan shapes the future of transport through its innovative products, said: “We have achieved a significant milestone with the high mapping technology of the Autonomous e-ATAK. We’ve extended our current route in Stavanger with traffic lights, intersections, and a tunnel. Tunnels are a very challenging test for autonomous vehicles due to limited signal and lighting. We passed this test smoothly with Autonomous e-ATAK. This made Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK the first and only self-driving public transport vehicle in Europe, which can pass through a tunnel. With this significant success, we have once again demonstrated our company’s pioneering and leading position in the field of autonomous transport while also achieving another milestone in the public transportation sector.”
Unmatched in Europe
Tunnels, one of the most challenging tests for autonomous vehicles detecting their surroundings with various sensors, are isolated from mobile networks or GPS signals because of tough conditions. Self-driving cars struggle to collect accurate and trustworthy data while in tunnels. Since a vehicle passing through a tunnel cannot communicate with the satellite, it loses its location. When the self-driving vehicle cannot find its location in a tunnel or loses, it cannot move autonomously due to the lack of connection with the outside world. Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK, capable of navigating tunnels on its own owing to autonomous routing, stands out as the first and only self-driving vehicle that could complete this task in Europe.
Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK has many LIDAR sensors located in its different parts. Furthermore, many innovative technologies such as advanced radar technology placed in front of the vehicle, high-resolution image processing with RGB cameras, and extra surrounding security thanks to thermal cameras are also among the features of the Autonomous e-ATAK. Offering all of these technologies as Level 4 Autonomous, Autonomous e-ATAK can move without a driver on a planned route. The vehicle, which can move autonomously with a speed of 50 km/h under all weather conditions day and night, performs all operations like a driver, such as approaching the bus stops on the route, managing the processes of getting off and on, and providing guidance and management at intersections, crossings, and traffic lights.
