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5G in autonomous shuttles enables important developments

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

The autonomous shuttles in Drive Sweden project S3, that can be seen on route 56 in Gothenburg, have been updated with 5G technology. This enhances their connection with the so called control towers and marks an important step for a greater introduction of autonomous vehicles in public transport.

The shuttles, which are provided by Navya and are operated by Keolis, operate a route on Lindholmen and run completely autonomously. Today, it is required that a safety driver is always on board, able to intervene if a more serious incident should occur. But by using so-called control towers this function could be performed remotely.

The control towers and their ability to monitor and control vehicles in public transport are absolutely crucial to accelerate the introduction of autonomous vehicles in public transport. The 5G technology can greatly improve these functions because it can, among other things, deliver even better real-time data, a much faster and more stable connection and more precise positioning. The 5G connection is delivered by Ericsson.

The S3 project is one of the first projects with self-driving vehicles that are both integrated in the public transport system and at the same time connected with 5G.

Read more about S3 here and here.

KRABAT is a part of the Government’s innovation partnership program, “The next generation’s travel and transport,” and is funded in part by Vinnova through Drive Sweden. The initiative is led by the research institute RISE.