Karsan continues to make its name known in international markets with its innovative technologies across its product range. Modernizing the transportation infrastructure of many cities with its environmentally friendly, zero-emission and state-of-the-art electric commercial vehicles, and expanding its electric vehicle fleet in Europe to over 250, Karsan continues to add new chapters to its success story. Norway, one of the countries with the highest share of electric vehicle sales globally, chose Karsan to supply its urban transport network with autonomous electric buses. Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK is automated by ADASTEC’s flowride.ai Level-4 Automated Driving Software Platform and will be used for the first time in Europe on a city line to carry passengers in the city of Stavanger, can go without a driver on a planned route.
Empowered by the vision of being one step ahead in the future of mobility, Karsan, which offers public transportation solutions suitable for the needs of the modern era, had delivered the first batch of Level-4 autonomous buses ready for real road conditions in USA and Europe, to Romania. With new orders from Northern Europe, Karsan succeeded in exporting its electric autonomous bus to Norway, where electric vehicles make up a large part of the market. Autonomous e-ATAK, which is already testing the roads in Stavanger, Norway, stands out as Karsan’s first electric vehicle delivery to the Northern European market.
Autonomous e-ATAK was sold to the private operator Vy Buss and will go into service for Kolumbus, the innovative PTA in the region. With this operation, Autonomous e-ATAK also won the title of “the first electric autonomous full size bus to be used on a city line and to carry urban passengers” in Europe. Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK stands out as the only 8-meter model produced in Europe and America. Speaking about the development, Karsan CEO Okan Baş said, “We made our first export in the Northern European market, to Norway with our 8-meter electric autonomous bus e-ATAK. We continue to lead the way in to the future of transportation with our products, with “one step ahead in the future of the mobility’ as our vision. This is another milestone for Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK, as it will be the first driverless big bus to carry passengers in real world conditions in Europe”.
CEO of ADASTEC Dr. Ali Ufuk Peker said: “We are very excited to extend our flowride.ai Level-4 Automated Driving Software Platform in partnership with Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK to Norway. With our mission of making public transportation operations more efficient, more comfortable, more safer and with our vision of “public transportation ahead of the time” we are comitted to the innovation of the future mobility. We are confident thatKolumbus and Vy will mark one of the milestones in Stavanger and it is a pleasure for us to take part in this partnership.”
300 km range, Level-4 autonomous software
For the Autonomous e-ATAK model project carried out by Karsan R&D, a partnership effort was made with another Turkish technology company, ADASTEC. Level-4 autonomous software developed by ADASTEC has been integrated into Autonomous e-ATAK’s electrical-electronic architecture and electric vehicle software. Autonomous e-ATAK is powered by 220 kWh batteries developed by BMW reaching 230 kW of power, and meeting the needs of customers. Boasting a 300 km range, the 8.3-meter-long Autonomous e-ATAK can carry 52 passengers making it a pioneer in its segment. Autonomous e-ATAK can be charged in 5 hours with AC charging units and in 3 hours with DC units.
Perfect vision in all weather conditions
Autonomous e-ATAK, which has driving assistance systems that go beyond ADAS functions, has advanced LiDAR sensors. These sensors work effectively at even the most critical angles for distances of up to 120 meters by emitting laser beams, enabling three-dimensional detection of surrounding objects with centimeter accuracy. Moreover, the radio waves emitted by the front radar identify moving objects up to 160 meters in all weather conditions. The self-driving technology can easily navigate through roads, and analyze traffic besides having situational awareness.
Extra security for pedestrians and other living beings
Karsan’s Autonomous e-ATAK, which can both measure the distance of objects and identify them by processing high-resolution images with six RGB cameras fitted on different parts of the vehicle, easily distinguishes between vehicles, pedestrians or other objects. On the other hand, Autonomous e-ATAK, thanks to its thermal imaging cameras, can detect the temperature changes in living beings around the vehicle without being affected by light and weather conditions, thus providing additional safety for pedestrians and other living creatures. Autonomous e-ATAK has high-resolution maps that convey highly accurate location information, GNSS, accelerometers, and also LiDAR sensors, allowing the vehicle’s location to be determined precisely and safely.
