Test vehicles for the “Minga” project have arrived at the Campus East

Two 12-meter electric city buses manufactured by Ebusco were delivered to KIT’s Campus East to serve as test vehicles for the “Minga” research project. The vehicles will form the basis for the further development and testing of automated and connected driving functions in public transit.

The “Minga” project (Munich’s automated public transit system with ridepooling, solo buses, and bus platoons) has as a target to develop innovative mobility concepts for urban areas and, in particular, to test the use of automated bus platoons in real-world traffic conditions. In this setup, two buses travel one behind the other in a technically linked formation, with the rear vehicle following automatically.

Together with the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, ITIV/KIT is now beginning to integrate and test the platooning software on the newly delivered vehicles. The focus is particularly on validating the system functions as well as the interaction between sensors, communication, and vehicle control under realistic conditions.

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV), the project will run until mid-2027 and has as a target to make a significant contribution to efficient, safe, and low-emission urban mobility.

Further updates on the project’s progress and activities at Campus East will follow over the course of the summer.