TAVF - Test track for automated and connected driving in Hamburg

Hamburg explores the mobility of the future

The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg relies on intelligent transport systems to shape the mobility of tomorrow. A several kilometers long test track for automated and connected driving (TAVF) is being built in the city of Hamburg. Since 2018, it has been upgraded for infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. With numerous equipment features, it enables vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and research institutions to test ITS applications, safety and assistance systems as well as automated and connected driving functions in the real traffic environment on public roads.

Open Application Laboratory

With the test track, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has created a user-independent and technology-neutral application laboratory where vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and research institutions can test innovative mobility services free of charge in real traffic on public roads. Together, the requirements for the digital infrastructure for automated and connected driving are defined and future mobility solutions are tested. The intelligent infrastructure and the associated services will be successively expanded by the City of Hamburg for this purpose and are therefore subject to continuous testing, adaptation and change. In no case do the services offered on the test track replace the existing legal traffic signs and traffic regulations.

The test track is characterized by realistic and thus demanding traffic situations. In addition to simple driving manoeuvres in single-lane or multi-lane mixed traffic, it also covers complex intersection topologies with a wide variety of crossings. In addition, locations were selected for the construction of the ITS-G5-based communication systems which represent a challenge for radio technology due to the existing structural situation, e.g. Suburban train bridges and underpasses. This should provide further insights into the range and influencing factors of ITS-G5.

Extention of the test track

As part of a cooperation between the Hamburg test track for automated and connected driving (TAVF) and the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), the inner-city TAVF test track is being extended towards the Port of Hamburg. With the extension, new traffic scenarios in the area of road goods traffic in the hinterland of the Port of Hamburg will be realised and tested in addition to urban traffic scenarios, such as the protection of vulnerable road users as well as public transport and emergency emergency vehicle prioritisation, among others.