Having officially started the production of the autonomous technology Atak Electric announced for the first time at the beginning of the year, Karsan has become Europe’s first Level-4 autonomous bus manufacturer. In the project to be carried out by Karsan’s R&D team, Karsan made cooperation with another Turkish company, ADASTEC. Level-4 Autonomous software developed by ADASTEC has been integrated into Atak Electric’s electrical-electronic architecture and electric vehicle software. Thus, Autonomous Atak Electric, Europe’s first public transport vehicle with 100% electric and Level-4 autonomous features, has completed the final stage on the assembly line in Karsan’s factory in Bursa, Turkey. In a statement on this initiative, Karsan CEO Okan Baş said, “We carried out the simulation and validation tests of the vehicle, whose first prototype we completed in August, at our Hasanağa factory in Bursa. On top of that, we caught the attention of Europe in a very short time and received our first order from BSCI, being one of the leading technology companies in Romania. Moreover, with this order which we expect to deliver by the start of 2021, we will also have realized the first electric autonomous project sale in Europe in the 8-meter class.
Being the only independent multi-brand light commercial vehicles manufacturer in the automotive industry for more than 50 years in Turkey, Karsan has completed the final assembly of the Atak Electric with Level-4 autonomous driving features to be introduced soon. Having officially started the manufacture of Autonomous Atak Electric, whose test, simulation and validation studies have been completed since the beginning of the year, Karsan has achieved a historic success for the Turkish automotive industry as Europe’s first Level-4 autonomous bus manufacturer. In the project to be carried out by Karsan’s R&D team, Karsan made cooperation with another company, ADASTEC. Level-4 Autonomous software developed by ADASTEC has been integrated into Atak Electric’s electrical-electronic architecture and electric vehicle software.
“Connected and autonomous vehicles are the future”
Karsan CEO Okan Baş said, “While the share of electric, hybrid engine or fuel cell vehicles in the automotive industry is increasing day by day, we, as Karsan, offer 100% electric public transportation solutions. Jest Electric and Atak Electric, whose mass production we started in a short time like a year, are, in this sense, among the most significant models of our country in terms of the export of new technology. However, we are aware that this will not be limited to electric vehicles. Because connected and autonomous vehicles are the future. Vehicles that communicate with each other within an ecosystem will provide both a cleaner future and a maximum safety in transportation. From this point on, we take great pride in completing the final Assembly stage of the Autonomous Atak Electric, which we started working on at the beginning of the year.”
The first delivery is scheduled for 2021
Emphasizing that Karsan R&D and ADASTEC have carried out extensive work on Autonomous Atak Electric throughout the year, Karsan CEO Okan Baş, said, “We carried out the simulation and validation tests of the Atak Electric with level-4 autonomous driving features, whose first prototype we completed in August, at our Hasanağa factory in Bursa. On top of that, we caught the attention of Europe in a very short time and received our first order from BSCI, being one of the leading technology companies in Romania. With this order which we expect to deliver by the start of 2021, we will also have realized the first electric autonomous project sale in Europe in the 8-meter class.
What does Level-4 Autonomous Mean?
There are 6 basic levels for autonomous driving determined by the head organizations of automotive engineering in the world. These autonomous levels are from lowest to high; Level 0, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5. In Level-4 autonomy, the control of the steering wheel, braking adjustment, acceleration/deceleration characteristics, vehicle and road tracking tasks are controlled by intelligent systems on pre-determined routes without the need for a driver. In addition, actions such as making turns, signaling and changing lanes, requiring decisions according to the flow of traffic, are performed by the vehicle at this level.