EasyMile, GreenTEC Campus launch Germany’s first SAE Level 4 autonomous driving operation

October 28, 2020 | AUVSI News

EasyMile and GreenTEC Campus have launched the first Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) level 4 autonomous driving operation in Germany, on a closed site.

Known as “EMil,” the autonomous shuttle has been operating on the GreenTEC campus in northern Germany for two years. EasyMile and GreenTEC Campus worked with project partners such as EurA AG over the last six months to prepare for the move to level 4 operations.

“We strive to be highly innovative, but also sustainable and green in our ‘Green Valley’. We are therefore proud that we were able to bring this milestone to the north,” says Marten Jensen, managing director of the GreenTEC Campus.

EMil is now driving autonomously on the grounds of the innovation campus, which is home to a total of 30 companies from the field of renewable energies. The shuttle follows a 2.5-kilometer route, transporting employees and visitors along four stops at speeds of up to 15 kilometers per hour. Since 2018, EMil has moved thousands of people and covered 5,500 kilometers.

According to Jensen, the use of an autonomous electric shuttle was appealing because everything revolves around green mobility on the GreenTEC campus. The main goal of the project is to test autonomous driving in rural areas in order to secure the mobility offer in the long term.

The partners say that localization technologies in autonomous vehicles that work even with a weak network structure are crucial for a mobility service in the region. Research is also being conducted on the use of renewable energies.

“Due to our unique location at the sea, wind energy is our main drive, the EZ10 is operated on campus with wind fuel from our wind turbines – it couldn’t be any more sustainable!,” Jensen explains.

EMil adapts to its surroundings, with lidars and cameras recognizing any obstacles. Information is processed by GPS and powerful data fusion algorithms, allowing the shuttle to navigate on a preprogrammed map with millimeter level accuracy, even without existing infrastructure.

The shuttle is monitored by EasyMile, as well as the GreenTEC campus. Service attendants that previously rode in the vehicle now monitor the functions from outside and can intervene at any time. The shuttle has been well received thus far.

“EMil is the perfect door opener for a dialogue with the passengers. As the shuttle drives calmly and smoothly, it gives passengers a good feeling. In the end, everyone is won over,” says Project Manager Marco Kalkhorst.

EMil’s deployment is a major step for autonomous driving in Germany. The federal government has announced plans to introduce a law to regulate the operation of level 4 autonomous vehicles on public roads this year.