Group trials autonomous electric vehicles in the city of Gothenburg
Keolis has launched a trial of autonomous electric vehicles in the city of Gothenburg on behalf of local public transport authority Västtrafik.
This service, which is integrated into the regional public transport network, will serve industrial and residential sites for a four and a half month period. It follows previous trials of autonomous electric vehicles by the French-owned group, which it first rolled out in 2016 in Lyon, France, and then deployed in Europe, the UK, North America and Australia.
For the Gothenburg trial, two autonomous electric shuttles made by Navya will operate during office hours from Monday to Friday. They will travel on a fixed 1.8 km route serving the Lindholmen Industrial and Science park – a former shipyard that now features offices, residential and university buildings and parking lots.
Bus passengers can use the service to connect with existing bus lines and track shuttle schedules in their travel app or on the city website. As the legislation requires, a safety operator will be present in the vehicle at all times. The shuttles have a maximum speed of 20 km/h and can carry up to eight passengers.
Charging takes five hours, and the vehicles can run for up to seven hours on a single charge, depending on weather conditions.
Designed to operate in conditions including sub-zero temperatures and snow, this new autonomous electric shuttle service is the city’s most advanced to date and is integrated into Sweden’s public transport network. It is also part of Next Generation Travel and Transport, a government-funded initiative that includes S3 (Shared Shuttle Services) a shuttle trial programme backed by a coalition including RISE, Västtrafik and Keolis.
Keolis is also currently trialling three autonomous vehicle brands on a closed 80-hectare test site in Châteauroux, France to fine-tune full vehicle autonomy with no operators on board.
In 2020, the company teamed up with partners in Sweden to put Stockholm’s first autonomous electric vehicle through its paces, using 5G technology for remote control and supervision. Keolis also partnered with Volvo in 2019 to develop and demonstrate a 12-metre long electric bus, which was parked, washed and recharged autonomously at the Keolis depot in Gothenburg.
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