Australian-New Zealand self-driving bus shuttle manufacturer Ohmio Automotion Ltd is to open a European office.

After winning a key contract with national railway company CFL, Ohmio will base itself in Luxembourg as it addresses the growing demand for autonomous vehicles in Europe.

The Luxembourg railway operator initially launched an international call for tenders for self-driving shuttle buses in 2020, and the contract has recently been awarded to Ohmio. In early 2023, the company will provide two vehicles to be implemented in the context of a three-year project.

Ohmio is part of infrastructure company HMI Technologies. Chairman Mohammed Hikmet explains: “We have been working with intelligent transport systems, where the infrastructure is able to communicate with drivers, for over two decades. In 2015, we decided to think about how this communication would be done with vehicles without drivers, and two years later we had developed our first autonomous shuttle capable of communicating with its environment. Instead of just developing self-driving vehicles, we provide an entire ecosystem.”

Ohmio’s vehicles have already been deployed in New Zealand, Australia, China and South Korea. “Ohmio’s experience and achievements in Korea, as well as its modular platform approach and first experience of level 4 autonomous driving were among the most interesting aspects of their offer,” says Carlo Hansen, Chef du Service BU at CFL.

The Luxembourg contract is the company’s first project in Europe. “We will work together with CFL and other partners to develop a system that ensures that the vehicles operate safely and efficiently,” added CEO Dean Zabrieszach.”

(Picture – Ohmio)