The ATLAS-L4 research and development project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, will launch the first autonomous truck to drive on a German autobahn.
MAN Truck & Bus, who has been working alongside 11 other partners on the autonomous truck project since January 2022, has completed a prototype vehicle.
The truck features sensors on the roof and at the front and sides of the driver’s cab. These sensors will be used to collect data on the autobahn during test drives with a safety driver. Prior to this testing, the vehicle has already completed successful test drives at MAN’s site in Munich.
The steering, electrical system and redundant braking, which is used if one braking system fails, have also been tested.
In addition, the vehicle’s sensors can carry out realistic environment detection of its surroundings.
Furthermore, a Control Center for this vehicle was commissioned in September 2023, which allows for technical supervision. The system interface displays the vehicle’s location on a map and provides other practical information such as speed and automation status.
The 12 partners of the ATLAS-L4 project (MAN Truck & Bus, Knorr-Bremse, Leoni, Bosch, Fernride, BTC Embedded Systems, Fraunhofer AISEC, Munich University of Technology, Braunschweig University of Technology, TÜV SÜD, Autobahn GmbH and WIVW GmbH) share common goals: proving the feasibility of Level 4 automation and increasing safety and efficiency on roads.
We want to contribute to hub-to-hub automation, i.e. driverless commuting between logistics yards, and thus to greater safety, greater efficiency and less congestion on the roads - automation concepts can also be used to counter the shortage of drivers.Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus, said:
The ATLAS-L4 autonomous truck test drives are expected to take place on the German autobahn later this year, with a safety driver on board.
