Moving autonomous mobility safely forward for good in
Grorud Valley
Autonomous vehicles in Oslo’s Grorud Valley
The purpose behind this project
The Grorud Valley area lacks public transport options; therefore, this project provides an innovative solution to an obstacle posed by mobility. The project aims to enhance public transport opportunities beyond their current state, offering a service that is affordable, accessible, and sharable.
The next phase of autonomous mobility in Oslo
To continue Holo’s work with Oslo’s PTA Ruter, we have started an autonomous project in the suburbs of Oslo called Grorud Valley. In the project, we will take autonomy to the next level in a three-year journey, aiming to have autonomous vehicles operating without a safety driver.
The overall goal of this project is to improve transportation options and reduce traffic congestion through the use of autonomous technology. The vehicles will operate as a flexible and shared on-demand service in Grorud Valley and complement the existing high-capacity public transportation in the area. The trips will be ordered by app, giving people the freedom to choose where to be picked up and where to go.
The autonomous NIO vehicles, with sensors and autonomous software provided by Mobileye, will be used to transport passengers in Grorud. They will be able to operate within the entire Grorud Valley, with a fully mapped area of around 21.75 square kilometres.
The operational area
Grorud Valley is a suburban area of Oslo, dominated by large housing projects, industry, and single-house residential neighbourhoods.
Grorud Valley consists of four districts, Bjerke, Alna, Stovner, and Grorud. In total, one out of five people living in the Oslo Area live in Grorud Valley. Like the rest of Oslo, the population is expected to grow in the coming years. With the growing number of citizens of different ages, a re-invented public transport system is necessary to provide better mobility for all.
Area population is around 140.000, roughly 20% of Oslo’s 690.000 inhabitants.
The total service area is 21.75 square kilometres with roughly 290 km of serviced road.
The project and the partners
Holo is responsible for implementing the project, which includes obtaining all necessary approvals, training staff, and preparing for operations. Second, Holo is responsible for day-to-day operations, ensuring that the vehicles run on schedule. Mobileye is responsible for the NIO vehicles, including the retrofitted sensors pack to have them operate autonomously and compatible with Mobileye’s self-driving software. Ruter is responsible for public transport in the area and thus responsible for communicating with customers and making the project possible.
The partnership between Holo, Ruter, and Mobileye brings together multiple partners with diverse expertise and responsibilities to create a pioneering pilot project in Grorud Valley. Through this collaboration, better mobility solutions with self-driving vehicles will be implemented to improve public transportation in the area.
The project started in the first half of 2023, with preparations for the route, the vehicles, and the application material. However, several steps must be taken before autonomous vehicles can be used daily.
The pilot phase started with two vehicles running daily on a designated route throughout Grorud Valley. Following this phase, new vehicles were introduced, and safety operators were trained to expand the service to a constantly growing area.
The pilot phase will commence with two vehicles running daily on a designated route through Grorud Valley. Although the exact route has yet to be determined, the primary aim is to enhance public transportation opportunities beyond their current state. If the pilot project proves successful, as anticipated, more vehicles will be deployed into operation as Mobileye produces them.
The Future of Mobility in Oslo
Technological demonstration
A pilot project to establish the technological capabilities and future possibilities.
Total AVs: 4-20
Total area: 22 km2
2022-2024
Business viability
An established use case and economic sustainability allow for expansion
Total AVs: 20-250.
Total area: 480 km2
2023-2025
Demonstrated scaling
Successful scaling in local municipalities will spread through the Oslo region.
Total AVs: 20.000
Total area: 6.920 km2
2024-2030
Future possibilities
From Oslo, the service could expand through greater Oslo and Norway.
Total AVs: 30.000+
Total area: 8.890 km2
2030+
The REM campaign
Holo has conducted the first operational phase of our project in Grorud with Ruter As and Mobileye. We have deployed five vehicles to the route, manually driven, to aggregate and validate existing Road Experience Management (REM) data from the area (read more about REM data here).
The work is planned by and managed through Holo’s experienced remote Supervision team, providing routes, tracking, and supporting the driver in collecting the REM data efficiently - all in close collaboration with our partners at every step of the way.
After the work is complete and all the necessary data has been collected, it'll be used to create the map and navigation rules used by autonomous vehicles.
