Autonomous Shuttles Return WRC Rally Estonia 2022

We have attended the WRC Rally Estonia for the third time to showcase Iseauto to the general public and to shine more light on autonomous transportation. This time our team brought two self-driving shuttles to the city of Tartu so our solutions could be seen at the Expo Area and next to ERM.

Once again we had a special guest on the board of autonomous Iseauto – 5MIINUST. The artists took a ride to WRC Rally Estonia main stage. Auve Tech’s self-driving shuttle definitely caught some attention and had its time to shine when our cooperation partner Solaride accompanied us on the main stage so that the companies could be introduced to the audience.

Two men preparing to board an Auve Tech autonomous shuttle with WRC Rally Estonia branding.

Operational environment

5MIINUST were a true representation of a successful band – our Iseauto departed with the musicians from the famous Atlantis Club, after which the iconic Kaarsild bridge, a true symbol of Tartu, was crossed and many people were cheering along to the headliner of the WRC Rally event. To ensure the safety of everyone, there were bodyguards keeping an eye on the onlookers so the teleoperated ride would not be interrupted.

We also showcased our teleoperation on the main stage and afterwards, from backstage Iseauto drove back to the Expo Area in Tartu Keskpark so visitors could take a closer look at the shuttle and our team could answer questions about autonomous driving, last-mile solutions and upcoming projects.

Weather conditions were not on our side and teleoperations on the main stage could’ve been heavily affected by the slippery stage yet we managed to make a great performance.

The Kaarsild bridge route was 300 m long and the area was closed so Iseauto shuttle didn’t have any difficulties and the need to be operated manually.

Our teleoperation functioned well and the passengers were satisfied with the ride.

This year’s main stage was the same as back in 2021 but we had more time to show the power of teleoperations.

Challenges tackled

During the first teleoperations from Atlantis to the venue, there were many trees and it could’ve caused unclear visibility for the LiDARS. Luckily Auve Tech has upgraded the software and this problem did not happen to us.

The second challenge was not technical but emotional. Since Iseauto was presented in Expo Area there was a lot of curiosity from everyone who saw the bus and our representatives did a wonderful job interacting with all of them. It was a big challenge to not be able to offer a ride to all of them because neither we nor WRC Estonia had an idea of how high the demand for rides would be. Hopefully, we can bring more joy next year.

The most memorable person was an 8-year-old girl who had a lot of technical questions. After our representative explained the technology and our vision, she said she will buy one of our buses because of how cute they are and we are happy to have such promising interest for the future.