Imagry and UNVI Partner to Launch Mapless L4 Autonomous Electric Buses
The collaboration integrates AI-driven autonomous systems into Spanish-made electric buses to tackle driver shortages and urban emissions.
AI company Imagry and Spanish manufacturer UNVI have partnered to integrate Level 4 autonomous driving technology into electric buses. The move aims to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission public transport while addressing the critical global shortage of professional drivers.
As part of the collaboration, Imagry's AI-based autonomous driving system is being integrated into UNVI's M3-category electric buses. The partnership has already yielded a 10.3-metre autonomous electric bus supplied for a project in Germany. According to the companies, the system integration for this vehicle was completed in under three months. To facilitate the rollout, UBSI is providing support through procurement, leasing, regulatory compliance, and fleet deployment services.
A Shift Toward Mapless Deployment
A central technical feature of the partnership is the use of an "HD-mapless" solution. Unlike many autonomous systems that require expensive and time-consuming high-definition mapping of every street before deployment, Imagry's technology does not rely on these maps. This approach allows for faster, location-independent deployment, reducing the initial overhead for city planners and transit operators.
From a regulatory standpoint, the vehicle is pre-certified to Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) under the General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) framework. This ensures that the hardware and software integration meets stringent European safety standards from the outset.
Implications for Urban Mobility
By removing the dependency on HD mapping, the partnership lowers the technical and financial barriers for municipalities to adopt autonomous transit. Eran Ofir, CEO of Imagry, stated that the company's AI-based technology provides public transportation operators and city planners with a "quick and reliable way" to meet growing mobility challenges.
For the industry, this represents a scalable path toward autonomous urban mobility. The combination of UNVI's flexible bus body configurations and Imagry's perception and motion planning software allows for a more agile response to the needs of different urban environments. Carlos Rivo, Managing Director of UNVI, noted that the cooperation demonstrates how a flexible manufacturing approach can support innovative autonomous mobility projects.
The Road Ahead
This partnership follows Imagry's previous ventures into autonomous transit, including a 2023 project in Nahariya. The current focus remains on the German deployment as a proof of concept for the mapless L4 system in a live urban setting. Observers will be watching to see if the rapid three-month integration timeline can be replicated across larger fleets and if the GSR2 pre-certification streamlines the approval process in other European markets.