The first Irizar autonomous bus has been delivered to Malaga City Council and bus operator Avanza. The bus developed for this test is based on an Irizar ie, a 100% zero emissions electric vehicle with dual driving mode modes: manual and automatic. At 12 metres long, it has capacity for 60 passengers.
This first autonomous bus stems from the AutoMost Project funded by the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), part of Spain’s Ministry of Economy, which aims to develop technologies for the automation of vehicles in urban and industrial transport applications, in order to make significant increases in efficiency, safety and sustainability. Avanza is working with with 11 partners, including the Irizar Group through Irizar e-mobility. The project also has the participation of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Insia, CEIT-IK4 and the University of Vigo. Malaga will therefore become the first city in Europe to have an autonomous bus moving through its streets, which will run from the port to the city centre, transferring cruise passengers. The bus will use a high-precision positioning and guidance system and will be connected to a control centre from which specific instructions can be sent to each unit, and the buses can be monitored and their itineraries accessed in real time.
Hector Olabegogeaskoetxea, Managing Director of Irizar emobility, said: “We believe that this bus is ready to begin the pilot test in real operating conditions on a public highway, in a real traffic situation in the city of Malaga.
This is the first test of this type with a bus of this size in Spain. These tests will undoubtedly provide data and experience in daily practical operation, which will contribute to progress in this great challenge for the future of the Irizar Group.” The project is the culmination of three years of work, and puts a standard size vehicle into circulation in a real traffic situation in a city and not in a reserved space or in a restricted area.
