Germany – Motor vehicles for the transport of 10 or more persons – Innovationspartnerschaft Entwicklung und Lieferung von Fahrzeugen mit autonomer Fahrfunktion für den ÖPNV im Rhein-Erft-Kreis

The subject of the innovation partnership under Section 18 SektVO is the development, testing, and subsequent delivery of vehicles with autonomous driving functions for use in public transport (ÖPNV) by the REVG (the contracting authority). By vehicles with autonomous driving functions, vehicles with autonomous driving functions are understood at all times according to Section 1d StVG, which functionally correspond to Level 4 of the automation degree according to SAE J3016. The vehicles with autonomous driving functions are currently not available in a market-ready form with a corresponding operating permit according to Section 1e StVG and therefore require research and development work. The aim is to develop a solution that can be used in the ÖPNV of the REVG within the framework of an innovation partnership and, after the successful completion of the development phase, to procure the vehicles together with any operating services still required. The technical support of the operation must be guaranteed by the contractor for all phases of the innovation partnership and beyond. In the research and development phase, a vehicle system is to be developed and tested iteratively along intermediate goals. For this purpose, 10 vehicles with autonomous driving functions are to be used. If the defined milestones of the research and development phase are successfully reached (see the tabular list of milestones under Item 5 of the functional specification), up to 100 vehicles with autonomous driving functions are to be procured in the subsequent performance phase, while observing the agreed performance level and cost ceiling.