Project plan
Project description
Schedule
Partners & sponsor
Project description
The KelRide project in detail
Central issue
Currently, extreme weather conditions still severely limit highly automated mobility services. However, a critical point for the acceptance of new mobility solutions is their reliable availability for everyday life. The project will provide an answer to the question as to which extent highly automated vehicles, through the intelligent use of sensor technologies and software, can achieve all-weather capability in typical Central European weather conditions and how the same can be put into everyday operation within the public transportation framework.
Project aim
The aim of the KelRide project is a highly automated ridesharing service in the Kelheim district utilizing artificial intelligence. A mixed fleet of highly automated and conventional shuttles integrated into the public transportation system will transport passengers within the operating area. The main development aim of this project is an overall high-performance system that functions in “bad weather” conditions to a significantly improved degree, thus allowing for the first time year-round real operation in German weather conditions. The intended operation is to serve as a blueprint for corresponding services in other municipalities.
Implementation
The necessary functions for all-weather capability will be developed, validated, and approved for regulatory purposes. At the same time, the mixed fleet will be integrated into ridesharing technology and public transportation. The service in the district will be designed in advance based on scientific simulations, taking into account peculiarities of mixed fleets. During operation, a scientific impact analysis will be conducted. Finally, the economic implications of the service will be analyzed and transformed into a blueprint for the deployment of additional projects.
Timetable
Overview of milestones
July 2021
Using conventional vehicles, the service went live without the All Weather Proof function (AWP).
July 2022
The service will go live without AWP using a mixed fleet.
July 2023
The fully comprehensive service will go live.
July 2023
Blueprint (financial evaluation) will be made available and validated.
Consortium
Partners & sponsor
In the KelRide project, six partners coming from industry, the public sector, and research will for the first time integrate an autonomous and weatherproof ridepooling solution into the existing public transportation system in Germany.
The district of Kelheim
is responsible for setup and test operation. The primary objective here is to select a suitable operating area for the autonomous shuttles. This involves several steps, ranging from a comprehensive preliminary analysis to route assessment and subsequent route approval.
The technology company EasyMile
is providing its innovative EZ10 shuttles as well as its expertise in the field of platform automation in order to further develop autonomous vehicle technology with the consortium partners.
The Consulting Firm P3 Group
is responsible for the project management of the consortium and is developing a plan to realize the scaling of KelRide in Germany and the world.
The Technical University of Berlin
is simulating mobility behavior in the Kelheim district using MATSim agent-based traffic simulation.
Via’s technology platform
enables highly efficient and flexible on-demand transportation systems that allow seamless and efficient route planning, booking, and fleet management.
TÜV Rheinland
is evaluating methods for the system’s testability, conducting all tests for planned road approval and supporting communication with approval authorities.