The 100% electric new generation service vehicle Tragger, produced in Turkey, is getting ready for level 4 autonomous (driverless) driving, while the final test drives of the vehicle are planned to be held in the IT Valley in the first quarter of next year.
The vehicles, which are manufactured by Tragger company in Bursa with the same name, provide 85% fuel savings, contain fewer parts than internal combustion engines and provide advantages in terms of maintenance costs, attract great attention with these features.
Mass production vehicles, intended for transporting goods and people in areas such as factories, warehouses, airports, campuses and ports, are manufactured at the Turkish start-up Tragger’s facility in Bursa Hasanaga Organized Industrial Zone. Work on making the Tragger Pro series vehicles, which are currently exported to many countries with their electric versions, 4th level autonomous, continues in the IT Valley in Gebze.
“FULLY DEVELOPED BY ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS IN TURKEY”
Saffet Cakmak, one of the founding partners of Tragger, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Tragger vehicles are designed in the field of sustainable transportation technologies and next-generation mobility of the future, and were developed entirely by engineers and designers in Turkey.
Stating that the rate of locality in vehicles is over 65, Cakmak said, “Of course, locality is a relative issue. It is looked at according to the number of parts and part prices. In fact, we have done 200 thousand hours of design and engineering in order to create such a vehicle, which I will provide information on a subject that is not taken into account. When you include this, vehicles are currently 75-80% domestic. By developing some components that are not produced in Turkey by gaining their autonomous features soon, I think we will bring an 85% locality to our country in 2-3 years.”
“EXPORT IS A VERY IMPORTANT TARGET FOR US”
Ali Serdar Emre, one of the founding partners of Tragger, said that export is a very important target for them and that they have determined their export markets as primarily Europe, then America, and thirdly MENA countries.
Noting that the electric versions of service vehicles continue to be sold abroad, Emre said, “We will have exported about 10% of our production this year. We plan to increase this to 50%in the coming years.”
Emre also stated that they exported €25 per kilogram.
“WE ARE PLANNING TO MAKE THE LAST TEST DRIVES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022”
One of the partners of the project, FEV Turkey General Manager Taner Gocmez, stated that they offer added value in making the vehicle ready for autonomous driving, shared and connected mobility.
Stating that the Tragger Pro series vehicle has the 4th level of autonomy, Gocmez continued as follows:
“What is the fourth level? A level where everything is applied in a defined geography, not everywhere. What is this defined geography? Closed-open areas, airports, factories, where the service definition of our Tragger vehicle is made. We teach this geography to the vehicle, and the vehicle reaches from point A to point B in this familiar geography in a fully autonomous manner, by changing lanes, stopping when something comes in front of it, and adjusting all these decisions, gas and brake. This is level 4 autonomy.”
Noting that they have developed a technology that can move from indoor to outdoor without a driver, enable gas-brake decisions, change lanes, and provide autonomous transfer from the defined point A to B, Gocmez explained that this technology consists of a hardware and software package.
Gocmez said, “We are making this development step by step. At the point we have reached now, we are planning to make the final test drives of the vehicle in the first quarter of 2022. We hope that in 2022, Tragger will continue to export autonomously and fly our country’s flag. I would also like to share that the technologies we developed on Tragger will be featured in the world’s most prestigious engineering publication next month. A scientific article will be published. This is proof of the point we have come to.”
TRAGGER SERVICE VEHICLES
According to the information given, Tragger service vehicles, which have a load carrying capacity of 700 kilograms and a towing capacity of 2 tons, can climb a 17% slope when loaded, and can travel in two different speed modes as fast and slow. While the vehicle’s battery is 100% charged in 6 hours with a conventional 220 volt mains current, the battery pack offers a Quick-Drop feature for quick change.
The sensor set in the vehicle consists of 7 lidars, 1 radar and 1 camera. With these sensors, the vehicle can detect the surrounding environment 360 degrees, distinguish moving objects up to 80 meters and calculate the probability of collision. Thanks to the high-resolution camera and artificial intelligence-based image processing algorithms, the ability to distinguish between lanes, pedestrians or obstacles allows the vehicle to move more safely in a traffic environment where pedestrians are also present.
Thanks to the software infrastructure and connection module on the vehicle, which is planned to be carried out in the IT Valley, the autonomous driving tests will be controlled over the internet network and the data will be collected in the cloud environment.
Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz