Herford, the German deployment site of the ULTIMO project, is getting ready to launch. The first autonomous vehicle arrived in March. It is a small electric shuttle bus that is currently learning the route before starting full test operations.
The vehicle has nine seats and one space for a wheelchair. It will eventually operate in regular road traffic. Initially, its maximum speed in automated mode is 40 km/h. Over the course of the project, it is expected to reach at least 50 km/h. The autonomous shuttle was developed by technology group ZF in collaboration with Austrian shuttle manufacturer eVersum. The autonomous driving technology is provided by ZF.
In the first phase, the vehicle will be on the road in Herford only for short periods, conducting so-called mapping runs. During these runs, the map data stored in the self-driving system is updated, and it is ensured that all data points along the route are accurate. Initially, the shuttle will operate on a fixed-route service in the southwestern part of Herford, starting from the train station.
The mapping process will take approximately four months. Starting in the summer, the first passengers will be able to ride during the test phase. At that point, a second shuttle of the same type will also begin operating in Herford. To explore how autonomous driving can improve the bus network in Herford, additional autonomous vehicles will be gradually integrated into the regular bus service.
The goal is to deploy various vehicle sizes and different service models (fixed-route and on-demand) within the same area, creating an integrated autonomous transportation system.