Sparty in front of the 22-seat fully electric, autonomous bus operated at Michigan State University. The bus is part of the university's Mobility Initiative promoting clean transportation. Photo provided by MSU.Michigan State University
EAST LANSING, MI - No driver. No gas. No problem.
Michigan State University has debuted its electric, autonomous bus after months of trial runs.
The 27-foot, 22-seat bus is one of the largest of its kind on U.S. roadways to date, according to a Tuesday, May 10 university news release.
With the bus now officially accepting passengers, MSU takes another step in its “smart mobility” initiative, which pushes for clean transportation to reduce its carbon footprint.
“Michigan State University is driving the future of mobility and revolutionizing the way people and goods safely move throughout the world through our breadth of research, traffic management, engineering, public policy and socio-mobility efforts,” MSU President Samuel Stanley said in a statement. “We are pleased to help our state further extend its mobility leadership with this new addition to our campus.”
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The autonomous bus project is a collaboration between the state of Michigan, bus manufacturer Karsan and Detroit-based automotive software engineering firm ADASTEC. It was introduced in November to initiative trial runs across campus, including more than 650 test runs at various hours of the day. The bus has been certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, officials said.
The wheelchair-accessible bus will start its runs each weekday at 9 a.m. from MSU Commuter Lot No. 89, which sits at the intersection of Farm Lane and Mt. Hope Road. Once on campus, the bus will run from 9:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Friday.
The 2.5-mile route will go from Commuter Lot Bus Stop No. 4 to the MSU Auditorium with a goal of a 45-minute continuous round trip, the release states. For a map of the route, click here. To learn more about the bus and its schedule, as well as MSU Mobility initiatives, visit www.mobility.msu.edu.
In order to ensure safety, a licensed bus driver and ADASTEC technician is onboard at all times to take control if needed, officials said, adding that the Karsan bus with ADASTEC software incorporates safety, sensor and mapping equipment which allows for autonomous driving.
The collaboration between Michigan and the two companies created this “historic milestone,” said Satish Udpa, MSU Mobility interim director. MSU’s partnership on the project created an “excellent” testing site for the autonomous bus, said Okan Bas, Karsan CEO.
“MSU’s connected and diverse campus offers an excellent real-world proving ground in every type of weather for showcasing the immense capabilities of the Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK,” he said. “This is an important step taken toward the future of safe and sustainable mobility.”
MSU engineers will analyze data from the bus rides, including how the vehicle accommodates persons with disabilities to “inform future design considerations,” the release states.
“This electric autonomous bus will be a great tool to offer MSU students, staff and visitors to the area a glimpse into the future of mobility,” said Trevor Pawl, the state’s chief mobility officer. “We look forward to updates from MSU on the lessons learned from this type of public transportation on its connected campus.”
In addition to the electric bus, MSU has committed to an expansion of its electric vehicle fleet by about 370 vehicles in the next decade. This push starts with a purchase of 40 electric vehicles for this summer, including ones that service campus infrastructure or transport faculty and staff across Michigan, said Adam Lawver, director of campus services.
Read more: Michigan State University begins nearly 400-vehicle transition to electric power
The university’s goal is to slash in half its 2010 levels of greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere and contribute to climate change per the Environmental Protection Agency.
The expansion to electric vehicles is estimated to decrease of carbon dioxide by 18,945 less metric tons by its 2050 goal, according to an MSU release. This loss of carbon is the equivalent of planting more than 312,000 trees, the release states.
“The transition to more electric vehicles in our fleet is one of many steps we are taking to achieve our goals while decreasing our carbon footprint for a brighter and greener future for Michigan State,” he said.
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