Karsan autonomous e-ATAK approved for Paris open traffic

Karsan’s autonomous e-ATAK electric bus has received nationwide testing approval from France’s Directorate-General for Energy and Climate (DGEC), the agency within the French Ministry of Transport responsible for autonomous mobility authorisation, following a six-month trial conducted with RATP Group on Paris Route 393. The vehicle covered approximately 3,000 km under real-world urban conditions and achieved a 98% autonomous driving success rate without driver intervention.

The project was developed in collaboration with technology partner Adastec and validated at the test track of UTAC, France’s automotive testing and certification body. Testing involved mixed urban traffic, pedestrian environments, stop-precision parking, and real-time interaction with traffic signals and intersections, with an average of five hours of active daily operation throughout the trial period.

With DGEC operational approval secured, the autonomous e-ATAK is authorised to conduct driverless operations in open traffic across France. Karsan said the result positions the vehicle among the first autonomous public transport applications in Europe to achieve regulatory approval under live traffic conditions.

In a statement, Okan Baş, Chief Executive Officer of Karsan, said: “Our vehicle demonstrated its operational capabilities by successfully testing advanced driving scenarios such as navigation in mixed traffic conditions, precise parking at stops, and real-time interaction with traffic lights and intersections. During the six-month testing period, the vehicle achieved a 98% success rate in autonomous driving without driver intervention. This rate serves as concrete proof of the high reliability and operational maturity of our autonomous solution.”

Source: Karsan