Karsan has celebrated a new milestone following the successful use of its Autonomous e-ATAK vehicle as part of the Sälen–Idre Autonomous Public Transportation Project (SIKTA).
The project saw the Autonomous e-ATAK undergo testing in a series of traffic and shared-road scenarios at a Swedish mountain resort this January, involving constant interaction with pedestrians and skiers as well as heavy snowfall and challenging winter conditions.
Conducted in close collaboration with the municipalities of Malung-Sälen and Älvdalen in Sweden, local businesses, and Dalarna University; the testing phase was followed by the vehicle receiving passenger transport approval from the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) before entering commercial operation and providing uninterrupted service under real-world operational conditions, transporting tourists for roughly one month during the peak ski tourism season.
Karsan’s Autonomous e-ATAK vehicle operated along a 4.8-kilometre route as part of the project, serving passengers between ski resort areas and accommodation points.
Karsan CEO Okan Baş said:With this project we have launched in Sälen, we have demonstrated that autonomous mobility can operate safely and seamlessly even in winter tourism regions one of the most challenging use cases for autonomous mobility.
This application is strong evidence that autonomous public transportation has moved beyond being a pilot technology and has become an integral part of real life. This new success further solidifies Karsan’s leadership in the field of autonomous mobility.
