Italy / Turkey – After recently becoming the first autonomous (level 4) e-bus in Sweden, Turkish bus manufacturer, Karsan Otomotiv Sanayii ve Tic. A.Ş based in Bursa has introduced its Level 4 autonomous electric bus, the e-ATAK, to Italy through a demonstration in Bolzano. This event, organised by the local public transport authority SASA, took place at the Vadena Safety Park Circuit, a facility designed for safe driving simulations and advanced automation tests.

The Karsan Level 4 autonomous e-ATAK is developed with US technology partner, Adastec, who designed the automated driving software (flowride.ai). The vehicle can perform driverless operations, including approaching stops, managing stop times, managing the boarding and alighting of passengers, and navigating and responding to intersections, crossings, traffic circles, and traffic lights. It is also able to travel in all weather conditions, both day and night. This is because the 8-metre, 22-seat (52-person) low-floor city bus is equipped with LiDAR sensors, radar technology, RGB cameras, and thermal cameras to autonomously detect its surroundings.