Mowasalat tests Level 4 fully autonomous electric minibuses

HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti yesterday witnessed the test operation of Level 4 fully autonomous electric minibuses conducted by Mowasalat (Karwa) in co-operation with Yutong, a Chinese manufacturer of commercial vehicles, especially electric buses.

He also took a tour at Karwa and was briefed on the company’s operational plan for the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, which will begin on November 30 and see the deployment of the first batch of electric buses to serve the fans of the event. He also inspected the public transit bus plans in general. The test operation comes within the framework of executing the electric vehicle strategy the ministry has developed with other bodies concerned. "The strategy backs the country’s agenda for a green future by contributing to striking an economic-environmental balance in a way that ensures the sustainability of transportation sector’s infrastructure projects, as well as modernising the modes of transportation through deploying alternative, clean energy in step with latest universal ecofriendly systems to reduce harmful carbon emissions and, therefore, create a clean, healthy and safe environment for generations to come," the ministry said in a statement.The months-long test operation will be evaluated to ensure that such buses suit Qatar’s climatic conditions. If successful, Qatar could become one of the first countries in the world to start deploying such a transit system, the statement notes.Level 4 technology is the most advanced for the time being. A Level 4 fully autonomous electric minibus can run autonomously without any need for a driver. However, a driver can be there as a backup to handle any emergency. These buses are equipped with several radars, lidars and advanced cameras that support the bus to recognise all surrounding objects and react accordingly while in motion, giving the bus a high degree of visibility at up to 250m of range. These technologies help enhance safety on roads. Each minibus can carry eight passengers and travel 40km per hour. Its battery takes roughly an hour and half to reach full charge and the bus can travel 100km per single full battery.