ADASTEC Corp. today announced the deployment of what it says is the first Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant automated bus at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in partnership with Vicinity Motor Corp. and ARIBO, an AV advisor supporting the project. This initiative is part of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) Mobility Challenge Program, which aims to develop sustainable mobility solutions for national parks.

“Our mission at ADASTEC is to solve modern city mobility problems with automated public transportation,” said Dr. Ali Peker, CEO of ADASTEC. “This project highlights our focus on providing clean, 24/7 available, accessible, sustainable transportation for all. By partnering with Vicinity Motor Corp. and leveraging our global deployment experience, we are bringing the first low-floor, electric, automated bus that meets FMVSS and ADA requirements to the market.”

At today’s launch event at the Michigan State Capitol Building, Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist announced the deployment of the automated bus that will transport passengers along the scenic Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Supported by the State of Michigan, the deployment aims to evaluate advanced automated bus technology in an outdoor recreational environment.

“Our collaboration with ADASTEC marks a pivotal moment in public transportation,” said Brent Phillips, CEO at Vicinity Motor Corp. “We are excited to witness the first public deployment of the Autonomous Lightning EV, which will significantly enhance mobility solutions in national parks, providing a more sustainable and efficient transportation option for visitors.”

Vicinity is a North American supplier of electric, CNG, and clean-diesel buses including the VMC 1200 electric truck to the transit and industrial markets.

The 45-day pilot will operate from mid-August through late September. The automated bus service plan is to run along the 7.4-mi scenic drive five days a week, eight hours a day, with about four round trips daily. However, service details may be adjusted weekly based on the findings of the research demonstration project. The bus will stop at Dune Plateau Overlook, Lake Michigan Overlook, and North Bar Lake Overlook. Visitors can reserve a free ride if they have a valid park entrance pass.

The project marks an important milestone in ADASTEC’s journey to improve public transportation with automated, sustainable, and accessible mobility solutions.

“This deployment not only showcases our commitment to innovation and sustainability but also emphasizes our dedication to enhancing accessibility and environmental conservation in the national parks,” said Cemre Kavvasoglu, Product Management Director, North America of ADASTEC.

Established in 2018, the automation solutions provider for full-size buses and commercial vehicles is headquartered in East Lansing, MI, with a global presence in Türkiye and the Netherlands. The company has been developing its flagship product, the SAE Level 4 automation platform called flowride.ai.

The technology uses multi-mode signals from an array of RGB and thermal cameras, lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and HD map information to detect “relevant traffic participants and objects accurately, robustly, and in real-time,” according to Ziya Oğuzhan Çevik, Product and Project Engineer at ADASTEC.

The sensor suite is designed to detect objects that can be seen and detected by at least two sensor modalities, but a fault-tolerant, redundant, and robust system can be established using five sensor sources. The system can detect and classify objects around the vehicle in a 360-degree view, determining their positions and estimating their speed and direction. Combined with traffic light and sign detection, a vehicle with the system can travel by following the rules in flowing traffic.

Sensor fusion plays a crucial role in operating L4 automated buses, especially when integrating lidar, RGB cameras, radar, and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). By combining data from these sensors, automated buses can understand their environment, with the lidar sensors especially helping to detect obstacles, pedestrians, and other traffic participants in detail by creating a precise 3D map of the environment.