The AD Readiness Event is an important step on our journey to autonomous driving. To demonstrate the progress in autonomous driving, the ID. Buzz AD was tested in various scenarios. Representatives from governments, authorities, companies and the media were invited to join in the rides and experience the development first hand.
What does it feel like to drive in the
ID. Buzz AD?
Timo Gilgen participated for the automotiveIT website and reports on his test drive: "If this is what the future of mobility looks like, you can really look forward to it." On this rainy day in Munich, the autonomous vehicles, which are still accompanied by safety drivers during the test phase, worked smoothly. Sascha Meyer, CEO of MOIA wrote about this on LinkedIn: "The rides here in Munich have shown that autonomous driving can be performed safely and comfortably on public roads. For a comprehensive evaluation of the autonomous driving capabilities, the tests took place in different scenarios, both on public roads and on a specially designed test track. We have seen impressive progress in our collaboration in just a few weeks!”
Autonomous driving in the USA and
Germany
The all-electric ID. Buzz AD is equipped with mass-production technology and with a self-driving system from the tech-company Mobileye. The large-capacity model seats up to four passengers. The growing test fleet collects data by covering kilometers in different driving scenarios. Each of the vehicles, defined as Level 4 in the U.S. SAE standard for autonomous driving, is equipped with cameras, radar and lidar technology. Throughout the testing process, a safety driver remains in the vehicle to monitor the process all times.
The development of autonomous vehicles is progressing at a rapid pace, with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles aiming for commercial deployment in metropolitan areas in Europe and North America, both for driving and transport services. At the same time, Volkswagen’s test program has started in Austin, Texas, USA, where the driving services are not provided by Volkswagen itself, but by external partner companies from the mobility and transport sector.
In Germany, we at MOIA will be the first provider to put autonomous vehicles on the road. Together with VWN, we are planning test drives in Hamburg before the end of 2023. The first closed test groups will be on the road in the Hamburg districts of Hohenfelde, Uhlenhorst and Winterhude in 2024. Stay tuned!