Continental presented in Timisoara the first fully autonomous vehicle in Romania

Continental presented, for the first time in Romania, an autonomous car, a development platform for a wide range of Continental technologies that are necessary for the operation of driverless mobility systems in the future. The company is convinced that these self-propelled, electric vehicles – without driver, steering wheel or brake pedal – will make an important contribution to improving traffic and, consequently, the quality of life in urban areas. The development of this autonomous vehicle was carried out together with the company EasyMile.

“The automotive industry is undergoing a complete transformation, from one in which the car is a concept made up of components to a vehicle that has functionalities and software at the forefront. The car becomes a smartphone on wheels, with functions such as top applications, followed second by an operating system, then 4-5 computers with high computing power, and only then come the components such as sensors and actuators. We can no longer talk about individual vehicles, but about their interconnection that goes in the direction of an ecosystem of intelligent mobility, integrating various modes of transport, from electric scooters and bicycles to cars and even public transport systems. As is the very robot taxi presented today. All these directions are developed in close connection with the megatrends of the industry: autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification.

This autonomous vehicle shows the performance and maturity of a range of Continental technologies that we already see used in many different models of cars in traffic today. We are talking about products and technologies, as well as those that target the safety zone of both passengers and other road users. Through this platform we continue to develop our products based on real life experiences, so that we can remain leaders in our many different fields of technical expertise “, said Christian von Albrichsfeld, Head of Country Continental Romania.

The autonomous vehicle was tested in Unirii Square in Timișoara. Hundreds of people have experienced driving in a driverless car.

The technology for autonomous vehicles, which Continental and EasyMile use, is ready for series production and is already used worldwide, in several localities, where it targets public routes, delimited areas from company headquarters, university campuses or fairgrounds. It is expected that, in just a few years, this self-driving vehicle will become an important addition to existing mobility systems, as they are environmentally friendly, flexible, safe, and therefore suitable for many transport systems.