Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Traffic and Mobility Transition, commented: "The HOLON mover is celebrating its European premiere in Hamburg – that's fitting. We want to pioneer modern mobility and use it to make people's lives more pleasant and comfortable. Autonomous driving will play a key role therein, particularly in combination with conventional public transport." Designed for accessibility, the shuttle features an automated ramp, secured wheelchair space, and auditory and visual assistance for passengers. The vehicle has a maximum speed of 60 km/h and a range of approximately 290 kilometres. Henrik Falk, CEO of HOCHBAHN, noted: "We want to enter regular operation with autonomous on-demand services as soon as possible to make mobility as simple and straightforward as possible for people."
The fully electric, autonomous HOLON mover went on show Thursday in the Automuseum PROTOTYP in Hafen City until late August. The vehicle has resulted from a a declaration of intent reached in 2022 between HOLON, a subsidiary of the Benteler group, and HOCHBAHN AG to use autonomous shuttles in public transport all over Hamburg. This should help expand climate-friendly and customer-friendly transport services from late 2024.
Safety, driving comfort and production quality
Many HOLONs to hit Hamburg's roads late next year
Plans are being laid to operate several HOLON vehicles on roads across Hamburg from late 2024. Tjarks pointed out: "We want to use autonomous shuttles to offer the 'Hamburg-Takt' service throughout the city by 2030. By then, everyone should be within five minutes of a public transport service during the day." Volker Wissing, Germany’s Minister of Digital and Transport, remarked: "Autonomously driving shuttles, such as the HOLON mover, will be an essential part of the mass transit in future. Mobility must change, and autonomous movers are a response to societal megatrends such as urbanization, climate change and demographics. It’s good that cutting-edge technology of this kind is being developed in Germany and is being used more and more in practice.”
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