German telecommunications company, Deutsche Telekom and mobility company, MIRA are testing the use of teleoperated shuttle vehicles in Bonn, Germany.
This pilot project will trial the use of teleoperated shuttle vehicles between Telekom locations at the operator’s headquarters.
Teleoperation, or remote driving, can optimise the operation of fleets by increasing vehicle utilisation and avoiding long idle and wait times.
This project therefore aims to evaluate how teleoperated shuttles could improve local transport services.
Klaus Kappen, CEO of MIRA GmbH said:We are convinced that teleoperated driving will play an important role in improving the efficiency and sustainability of transport. By working with Deutsche Telekom AG, we can develop innovative solutions for the mobility of the future and test them in public road traffic today.
Teleoperated driving requires a low-latency, high-performance 5G network. Telekom’s network is thus enabling operations by transmitting large volumes of data in quasi-real time from the vehicle to the remote driving station.
Olga Nevska, Managing Director Telekom Mobility Solutions said:Mobility is changing. In the future, teleoperation will take people from A to B in a new way. Safely and conveniently! We want to make this possible for our colleagues, too. And that’s why we are testing a teleoperated vehicle on the test track at Telekom Deutschland headquarters.
Currently, remote-controlled driving on public roads in Germany is only permitted with a special permit.
However, the legal framework for teleoperation is in the process of being defined at the national and European levels to enable such services to become part of future transport networks.
Mayor of Bonn, Katja Dörner said:Bicycle, bus, light rail and streetcar – Bonn already stands for modern and climate-friendly mobility services. We are pleased to be one of the first cities in Germany to enable tests for an innovative shuttle service: remote-controlled vehicles. Passengers will save time. Shuttle operations will become more efficient. Teleoperation can become a building block of our Bonn mobility turnaround in the future. With strong public transport and safe, attractive services for all.
