Turkish electric bus maker Karsan said its autonomous e-ATAK electric bus has received nationwide testing approval in France following a six-month pilot program in Paris.
The approval was granted by France’s Directorate-General for Energy and Climate, the agency within the Ministry of Transport responsible for autonomous mobility authorization, Karsan said.
The Level 4 autonomous electric bus completed testing with RATP Group on Paris Route 393, covering around 3,000 kilometers in real-world urban traffic conditions.
Karsan said the vehicle achieved a 98% autonomous driving success rate without driver intervention during the trial.
The project was carried out in partnership with autonomous driving technology company Adastec and validated at testing facilities operated by UTAC.
Testing included operation in mixed traffic, pedestrian-heavy areas, stop-precision parking and interaction with traffic lights and intersections.
With the approval, the autonomous e-ATAK is now authorized to conduct driverless operations in open traffic across France, according to the company.
“Our vehicle demonstrated its operational capabilities by successfully testing advanced driving scenarios such as navigation in mixed traffic conditions, precise parking at stops, and real-time interaction with traffic lights and intersections,” Okan Baş, chief executive of Karsan, said in a statement.
“This rate serves as concrete proof of the high reliability and operational maturity of our autonomous solution,” he added.
Ali Peker, chief executive of Adastec, said the project demonstrated that Level 4 automated driving is scalable for public transport deployment.
Karsan said the authorization places the autonomous e-ATAK among the first autonomous public transport systems in Europe to receive regulatory approval for driverless operation under live traffic conditions.
