The City of Leipzig is an attractive centre of economic activity, science and culture, and one of the fastest growing cities in Germany. Today, more than ever, it must therefore seek answers to the pressing question of reliable, affordable and sustainable mobility. The key objectives in this field can be derived from the sustainability scenario described in the Mobility Strategy for Leipzig 2030. This action plan must now be implemented systematically and within the narrowest possible time frame as the prerequisite basis for a successful mobility transition. Potential for scale effects is here seen above all in a shift from motorised individual traffic to local public transport.
This is the precise leverage point targeted by the “MobiLE” strategy of Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB). Incentives could be created, for example, by establishing automated, on-demand transport solutions to serve areas at the outskirts of the city and by providing for close integration with the high-performance public transport services of the city centre. Scalability in the direction of regular operations, however, is still held back by a lack of mature technology solutions that integrate vehicle, infrastructure, central control and booking components into an overall system. The challenge addressed by the ABSOLUT projects is thus development of an integrated and user-centric approach to the implementation of autonomous, demand-driven transport services as part of a traditional local public transport landscape.
Core idea of ABSOLUT – Use cases geared to customer requirements
The overarching objective of the ABSOLUT project series is to establish an automated, on-demand solution for local public transport that integrates with classic timetable-based operations to enable provision of a holistic, multimodal transport service. By extending the potential reach and at the same time improving the quality of service in peripheral suburban areas, this would secure and indeed strengthen the position of “traditional” local public transport and its business model founded on sustainability and the public good. The goal of barrier-free accessibility and participation in public mobility would further expand the scope of public services provided to the people of Leipzig, also in the suburban areas, delivering genuine and above all sustainable alternatives to motorised individual transport.
Through involvement in the development of this modular system landscape, public transport providers can build up valuable expertise in the field of autonomous driving and guarantee local contributions to the value chain of public mobility into the longer term. Last but not least, the envisaged solutions also promote applications that counter acute shortages of qualified personnel (e.g. drivers) with innovative technical solutions and in this way safeguard the future quality levels of public transport services. The network partners involved in the project can furthermore build a reputation as competent providers of tested system solutions for autonomous local public transport.
The guiding principle behind all ABSOLUT activities is a consistently holistic view of the overall system “automated public transport” from the perspective of the passenger. This is paired with the question as to how people living in suburban areas of the city can be motivated to forego use of a private car in favour of public transport? Accordingly, the focus has not been placed exclusively on development of a shuttle vehicle that is capable of autonomous operation at speeds up to 50 km/h and is networked with the traffic signals along its route. Further elements of a successful user story, such as convenient app-based planning and booking, or provisions for connections to regular timetable-based services, were also taken into account when defining the development scope, ensuring that the entire value chain of automated, demand-driven public transport is covered.
The table below compares the key objectives of the already concluded project ABSOLUT I and the current follow-up project ABSOLUT II:
ABSOLUT I
2019-2022
The goal of the project ABSOLUT I was to develop and demonstrate the overall system of a highly automated, demand-driven public transport landscape, and to evaluate the practicability of this system by way of trials with test passengers. The technology demonstration was designed to cover all elements of the process chain, from a booking and information app, via the control centre handling service planning and pooling, to autonomous shuttle vehicles traveling at normal traffic speeds along a test route that was also upgraded accordingly within the framework of the project. The driving functions were here monitored by an on-board safety driver who was able to intervene at any time in critical situations.
ABSOLUT II
2023-2026
Taking up the results of the initial ABSOLUT project, the current follow-up project addresses the central challenge of replacing the on-board safety driver with a technical supervisor based in a control centre at a fixed location, in compliance with the Law on Autonomous Driving (GAF), including realisation of the infrastructure necessary for remote communication with the vehicle control and the required interfaces between the system components. Only when a solution is available to enable several autonomous vehicles to be supervised by one person can the system be scaled up to enable broader application as a foundation for automated local public transport with added economic value.
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ABSOLUT I 2019-2022 |
ABSOLUT II 2023-2026 |
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The goal of the project ABSOLUT I was to develop and demonstrate the overall system of a highly automated, demand-driven public transport landscape, and to evaluate the practicability of this system by way of trials with test passengers. The technology demonstration was designed to cover all elements of the process chain, from a booking and information app, via the control centre handling service planning and pooling, to autonomous shuttle vehicles traveling at normal traffic speeds along a test route that was also upgraded accordingly within the framework of the project. The driving functions were here monitored by an on-board safety driver who was able to intervene at any time in critical situations.
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Taking up the results of the initial ABSOLUT project, the current follow-up project addresses the central challenge of replacing the on-board safety driver with a technical supervisor based in a control centre at a fixed location, in compliance with the Law on Autonomous Driving (GAF), including realisation of the infrastructure necessary for remote communication with the vehicle control and the required interfaces between the system components. Only when a solution is available to enable several autonomous vehicles to be supervised by one person can the system be scaled up to enable broader application as a foundation for automated local public transport with added economic value.
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The individual topics and development fields addressed by the projects ABSOLUT I and ABSOLUT II are summarised in the following table:
ABSOLUT I
2019-2022
Vehicle
The eCrafter test vehicle was built as a development and test platform for highly automated driving (with a safety driver as fallback), approved for use on public roads and tested accordingly.
Infrastructure
Upgrading of eleven sets of traffic signals and a tram line crossing along the ABSOLUT test route using vehicle-to-X (V2X) technology for networking with the test vehicle
Control centre
Development, realisation and testing of a control centre demonstrator for control of a fleet of autonomous electric minibuses
Technical supervision
The topic of remote technical supervision was not addressed within the framework of ABSOLUT I
Customer interface
Separate application for mobile telephones (app) to provide information and enable booking of the automated transport services
ABSOLUT II
2023-2026
Vehicle
Implementation of the necessary interfaces for remote communication with the vehicle control from a control centre (manoeuvre control)
Infrastructure
Digitalisation of municipal administrative processes to enable the machine-based communication of information on local traffic situations (road closures, construction work, etc.) to the vehicle
Control centre
Expansion of the control centre as the workplace for a technical supervisor with remote access to the vehicle control
Technical supervision
Technical supervision The topic of remote technical supervision was not addressed within the framework of ABSOLUT I Technical, organisational and ergonomic development of a workplace for manoeuvre-based remote vehicle control in accordance with the Autonomous Vehicles Approval and Operation Ordinance (AFGBV)
Customer interface
Development of the customer app functionalities for the “Flexa” on-demand platform already established by Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe in order to achieve the best possible compatibility between the two systems
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Topics
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ABSOLUT I 2019-2022 |
ABSOLUT II 2023-2026 |
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Vehicle |
The eCrafter test vehicle was built as a development and test platform for highly automated driving (with a safety driver as fallback), approved for use on public roads and tested accordingly. |
Implementation of the necessary interfaces for remote communication with the vehicle control from a control centre (manoeuvre control) |
|
Infrastructure |
Upgrading of eleven sets of traffic signals and a tram line crossing along the ABSOLUT test route using vehicle-to-X (V2X) technology for networking with the test vehicle |
Digitalisation of municipal administrative processes to enable the machine-based communication of information on local traffic situations (road closures, construction work, etc.) to the vehicle |
|
Control centre |
Development, realisation and testing of a control centre demonstrator for control of a fleet of autonomous electric minibuses |
Expansion of the control centre as the workplace for a technical supervisor with remote access to the vehicle control |
|
Technical supervision |
The topic of remote technical supervision was not addressed within the framework of ABSOLUT I |
Technical supervision The topic of remote technical supervision was not addressed within the framework of ABSOLUT I Technical, organisational and ergonomic development of a workplace for manoeuvre-based remote vehicle control in accordance with the Autonomous Vehicles Approval and Operation Ordinance (AFGBV) |
|
Customer interface |
Separate application for mobile telephones (app) to provide information and enable booking of the automated transport services |
Development of the customer app functionalities for the “Flexa” on-demand platform already established by Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe in order to achieve the best possible compatibility between the two systems |
Overview of the ABSOLUT test route on the northern outskirts of Leipzig
Our test route connects the Leipzig exhibition centre and the BMW manufacturing plant on the northern outskirts of Leipzig. The route is approx. 7 km in length and runs along public roads between the suburban railway station “Leipzig Messe”, which is also served by tram line 16 and several bus routes, and the bus stop “BMW/Zentralgebäude”.
Overview of the ABSOLUT test route on the northern outskirts of Leipzig
ABSOLUT Government Support
The ABSOLUT project is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). For full information on the current support for ABSOLUT II, click on the button below:
