In Lviv, the first self-driving Lviv trolleybus “Electron” has once again taken to the streets of the city in test mode.
As Volodymyr Kovaliv, the head of Lviv Electrotrans LLP, explained, the trolleybus must be tested in different climatic conditions before it is released on the route in order to see how effectively it will work in different temperature regimes.
The operation of the autonomous trolleybus is being tested by the employees of “Lvivelectrotrans” and the manufacturer – the “Electron” company.
“At this stage, the testing will last approximately until the middle of March. There will also be tests in the summer. We have to see how effectively it will work both at sub-zero and at plus temperatures. The trolleybus is tested on routes with both easy and difficult operating conditions. Let’s see how he will prove himself in the conditions of the city. After all the tests, the trolleybus will operate on one of our routes. It will happen this year,” Kovaliv said.
The utility company says that in the future, thanks to such trolleybuses, it will be possible to develop existing trolleybus routes without the construction of the corresponding infrastructure (laying of trolleybus lines).
It is noted that “Electron” equipped the existing trolleybus with an autonomous power supply system. After receiving an additional battery, it became 750 kg heavier and lost 3 passenger seats. However, it will be able to drive autonomously for 20 km, and it will only need a 3-hour recharge to “restore strength”.
The trolleybus made its first test flight in June last year.
Also, the autonomous trolleybus passed additional certification conducted by the state enterprise “Research and Design and Technology Institute of Urban Economy”.