Autonomous, electric Volkswagen shuttles in Qatar in 2022
Project Qatar Mobility will be operational by 2022, when the FIFA World Cup will take place in the country - 35 autonomous, electric shuttles will be integrated into Doha’s public transport service.
Autonomous public mobility operating with zero emissions, and accessible to everyone. That’s the goal of Project Qatar Mobility, which will see the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Volkswagen Group create a 100% electric urban self-driving mobility service. The visionary plan will feature electric ID. BUZZ AD* shuttles, developed and built by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and buses supplied by Scania. The project is part of the Group’s continued innovations on the journey towards future mobility, and takes advantage of cross-brand collaboration with MOIA and AID-Autonomous Intelligent Driving.
Physical and digital infrastructure
Qatar Investment Authority and Volkswagen Group are working together to develop the required physical and digital infrastructure to seamlessly integrate a fleet of electric self-driving vehicles into Doha’s existing public transport network. 35 Volkswagen ID. BUZZ AD vehicles will shuttle up to 4 passengers in the Westbay area on semi-fixed routes, while 10 high-tech Scania buses will pick up larger groups.
Volkswagen Group units AID and MOIA will provide the SDS (Self Driving Systems) knowledge and the app software to run the service. For the first time four Volkswagen Group brands will be working together on an urban mobility project of this type.
Holistic ecosystem
Project Qatar Mobility will create a holistic ecosystem for autonomous driving, including the creation of an appropriate legal framework, the transfer of specific technical knowledge and smart city infrastructure. This landmark project will be used as a blueprint to transform urban mobility, both in Qatar and beyond.
Initial testing of the bus and shuttle vehicles is expected to begin this year and trials will start as early as 2021. The project will go live during 2022, in time for the next FIFA World Cup.
A visionary project
“This project will play a very important role in our Together Strategy 2025+. It addresses the economic growth, social development, and environmental management challenges identified as part of our vision, and underlines our commitment to investing in next generation mobility. We will be experiencing real-world learnings and use the project as a stepping stone – for generations to come”, said Dr Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen Group.
Thomas Sedran, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, added: “Utilising the next-generation Bulli in such a visionary and innovative project launches us right into the future of transport: zero-emission mobility combined with autonomous driving for maximum efficiency and safety. This is a way of showing the public what mobility will look like - clean, smart and sustainable”.
* Concept car
Source: Volkswagen AG