The Ahoi autonomous shuttle project in Hamburg, led by public transport operator VHH alongside partners IAV and eVersum, will see its operational timeline extended beyond the original 2025 target, with public testing now expected in 2026. The development comes as Hamburg continues to push forward with multiple initiatives aimed at integrating autonomous vehicles into public transport.
The Ahoi project, short for “Automation of Hamburg’s On-Demand Service with Integration into Public Transport,” initially aimed to test a mixed fleet of automated and manually operated vehicles in public traffic by the end of 2025. However, during the signing of a development contract between VHH and IAV, it was confirmed that testing with safety drivers and a closed user group would now begin in 2026.
“The path to fully autonomous shuttles as part of public transport in Germany is still long and requires true pioneering work,” said Dr. Lorenz Kasch, Managing Director of vhh.mobility. “We look forward to collaborating with IAV and eVersum to further advance innovative and future-oriented mobility solutions for the people in the Hamburg metropolitan region.”
The Ahoi pilot will start with five autonomous electric shuttles from Austrian manufacturer eVersum. The vehicles, measuring nearly seven metres in length, will offer seating for nine passengers and additional space for a wheelchair or pushchair. The operational area will be limited to the southern parts of Hamburg, with initial deployment avoiding high-traffic city areas.
IAV, whose shareholders include Volkswagen, is supplying the autonomous technology stack, which features LiDAR, camera, and radar sensors for object detection and navigation. “With our expertise in autonomous driving technologies, we are making a decisive contribution to the mobility of the future,” said Carsten Rinka, Chief Sales and Projects Officer at IAV.
The delay of the Ahoi initiative comes amid continued progress on ALIKE, another autonomous shuttle project in Hamburg involving Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Moia, Holon, and other partners. That project aims to deploy up to 20 autonomous electric shuttles in the city.
Source: vhh-mobility.de