Innovation project ABSOLUT starts

The ABSOLUT innovation and development project was launched today with a meeting of all project partners at the Congress Center Leipzig. In the project, industry, science and the city of Leipzig work closely together with the Leipzig transport companies, which have taken over the project management. The core idea of ABSOLUT is the development of vehicles and their exemplary use for the test section of the S-Bahnhof Messe to the BMW plant with local top speed and high automation, which will be integrated into the transport services of the transport companies in the future.

"With the joint promotion of the ABSOLUT development project by the regional economy, academia and the city of Leipzig, we are strengthening Leipzig as a business location and demonstrating the effect of the mobility turnaround in Germany in practical terms," says Dr. Michael Schimansky, acting head of the Department for Economics, Labour and Digital Affairs.

In addition to the testing and approval of the new vehicles to be developed, the subject of development is also the pilot operation in public spaces to test different operating concepts. This includes a demand-based round-the-clock offer or a service available on request, a booking and information interface developed with the users, and the setting up and networking with a control centre. Accompanying this study is the user acceptance of autonomous bus services.

More climate protection, less dependence on fossil fuels and new technologies will significantly change mobility and its players. The further development of electromobility and artificial intelligence are future-oriented topics for German industry. As part of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) funding programme for electromobility, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is funding this strategic individual project with around 10 million euros. It also reflects the objective of the Free State of Saxony to develop and promote concrete pilot measures for the development and expansion of autonomous transport systems.

"As a consortium leader, we are pooling the competencies of our partners in order to explore opportunities for autonomous driving as a mobility service provider for Leipzig and the region, thereby strengthening our core business in the long term," says Ronald Juhrs, Managing Director of Technology and Operations at Leipzig Public Transport.

For the project participants, mainly Saxon partners, including small and medium-sized enterprises, there is an opportunity to apply and expand their existing competences in the field of digital communication technologies and the intelligent networking of infrastructure, vehicles, control centres and customer apps.