The two new Level 4-capable vehicles, which are currently being prepared at ThIMo for research operations on secure test sites and in the Ilmenau real-world lab, open up entirely new possibilities. A conventional passenger car—in this case, a battery-electric Kia EV6—has been retrofitted for autonomous driving functions in such a way that various sensor and software modules can be implemented, enabling algorithms, systems, and operating modes to be quickly tested and validated (“rapid prototyping”). The second new addition is a PIX Robobus. This platform serves as a component in a networked test chain (“X-in-the-loop”) featuring digital twins of the drive and control systems, as well as a demonstration of the future of autonomous mobility in public transportation.
The brand-new vehicle arrived by truck from the port of Rotterdam to its new location at ThIMo just in time for Science Night. During the transfer to the exhibition area at the Bertha-Benz Building, Professor Matthias Hein, ThIMo Director and Project Leader of the Digital Mobility Research Initiative, expressed great confidence: “Our fleet of highly automated research vehicles not only enables us to conduct cutting-edge research on new sensor, software, and data technologies, but also provides a firsthand experience of the future of mobility in public transportation.”
With its highly automated vehicle fleet and other research infrastructure, ThIMo is contributing to the establishment of the AVF Competence Center in Thuringia. The goal of this center of excellence is to research automated vehicles and mobility services under real-world conditions, integrate them safely into existing traffic structures, and pave the way from current pilot projects toward regular operation. The project is coordinated by the Chair of Transportation Systems Planning at the Bauhaus-University Weimar, a long-standing research partner of ThIMo. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) is providing approximately 4 million euros in funding for the establishment of the Center of Excellence as part of the research project “Mobility Network for Sustainable Rural Living Spaces – MOVEwell,” which has been underway at the two universities since 2024.
Level 4 automated and connected driving will be integrated into traffic on a large scale in the coming years. With these successful pilot projects, the development of the state-wide coordinated integrated schedule “Mein Thüringen-Takt,” and cooperation among all key stakeholder groups, the Free State of Thuringia is well-prepared to become a state-wide model region for automated and connected driving. The Thuringian Minister for Digital Affairs and Infrastructure and his Thuringian Mobility Network are leading this effort.
“The primary research goal is to explore the latest technologies with competent partners and teams, but even better is the opportunity to contribute to the creation of new mobility services that benefit society as a whole,” said Hein.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Matthias Hein
Director ThIMo
+49 3677 69-2545
matthias.hein@tu-ilmenau.de
Grant ID 2023 IZN 0005
