Autonomous mini-buses to be introduced by a French consortium in the city center of Châteauroux, marking a new era in public transportation.
The Mach2 project, a groundbreaking initiative, marks a significant step towards the large-scale introduction of Level 4 autonomous mobility services in France and Europe. The project, hosted by Châteauroux Métropole Agglomeration, brings together a consortium of industry leaders, each contributing their area of expertise.
The consortium includes Dassault Aviation, NAVYA, Transdev, the Antonov Group, Keolis, Alstom, EasyMile, Renault Group, and StatInf. Each member plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of this ambitious project.
Alstom, a French leader in mobility, is providing the connected safety infrastructure and communication protocols, ensuring seamless communication between the autonomous vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure. Alstom's contribution also extends to the traffic light interaction system, which has recently obtained SIL4 certification, the highest level of certification for railway safety.
Equans, through its NAVINEO offer, is responsible for developing a system to supervise a mixed fleet of autonomous and conventional vehicles in real time. Equans is also responsible for the Computer Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system.
Keolis, with its expertise in autonomous mobility, is committed to integrating a fleet of automated electric mini buses into its public transport network in Châteauroux. Keolis will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of these new public transport services.
EasyMile's role in the project is to demonstrate the positive economic impact of a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles in a city. Meanwhile, Renault Group is developing and supplying a platform of robotized electric mini buses for the Mach2 project.
StatInf brings expertise in the verification of the operational safety of software embedded in autonomous vehicles for the Mach2 project. The project addresses the complex issue of interaction with emergency vehicles and connection with traffic light infrastructures.
The supervision concept will be rethought to allow a single supervisor to control a fleet of vehicles and guarantee the viability of the economic model for this new type of transport. The project benefits from the official support of Châteaúroix Métropole, the Indre department, the Ministry of the Interior, the PFA (Plateforme Automobile), the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, and Bpifrance.
The automated electric mini buses developed for the Mach2 project will strengthen the local mobility offer in downtown Châteauroux, fully operational by 2026. The project will be integrated into the city's "Horizon" bus network. The vehicle developed will be significantly larger and faster than current autonomous shuttles.
Autonomous technology, as demonstrated by this project, enables more efficient, accessible, and less costly public transportation for communities. The Mach2 project, with its large-scale deployment of Level 4 autonomous mobility service, is a testament to France and Europe's commitment to embracing and leading the future of transportation.
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