Sensible 4, Ruter, mobility company Holo, and Toyota Motor Europe (TME) are collaborating to trial self-driving vehicles as an integrated part of the public transport service in the Oslo region in Norway for one year.

The partners unveil the vehicles to be used: Toyota Proace, equipped with autonomous driving software from the Finnish self-driving technology company Sensible 4. Per the companies, the Proace model is the right model to support this automated transportation solution with room for up to 6 passengers and equipped with a wheelchair ramp. 

The purpose of the self-driving vehicle trials is to explore ways to integrate autonomous vehicles into Ruter’s public transport service and reduce the need for private car use in the area. The service will be called line 529 and will operate for a period of one year.

Sensible 4 autonomous driving software is ideal for self-driving under demanding weather conditions. Enabling the all-weather performance is Sensible 4’s in-house methods and algorithms for 3D LiDAR data processing, intelligent sensor fusion system, artificial intelligence, and software controlling the vehicle platform.

Increasing the speed of the vehicles is another priority in the coming phase of the project. According to the company, earlier self-driving pilots have been limited to a maximum speed of 18km/h. In this pilot, Sensible 4 autonomous vehicles will be driving up to the speed limit in the area of 30km/h. Autonomous vehicles anticipate traffic for two or three seconds into the future. In urban areas, when driving 30 or 40 km/h, the braking time and distance are short so stopping the vehicle can be executed safely and smoothly. Increasing the vehicles' operating speed is likely to decrease the number of overtakings around them, thereby improving the flow and predictability of the traffic environment.

According to the plan, the people in Oslo will be able to start using the new travel offer in the first quarter of 2021. Until then, the two vehicles are first going to map the area and then carry out a total of five hundred hours of test operation without passengers on board, which is required by the Norwegian road authorities. 

Sensible 4 has been testing and piloting actively in Finland. Another pilot begins soon in another part of Norway, and the plan is to start self-driving pilots in 5 different countries next year. 

For more information, visit: Sensible4.fi