As the phenomenon of autonomous cars becomes more and more a reality, AG has stepped up to insure the first self-drive shuttle bus in Belgium. While a number of test projects have been running for some time in a traffic free environment, this is the first time a project has gone live in a real-life situation.
Known as ‘Olli 2.0’, this vehicle is proudly operating at the Ghent based General Hospital Maria Middelares. AG insures the liability risk, gaining at the same time knowledge and experience in a future in which autonomous vehicles will become commonplace. The vehicle is used to transport hospital visitors from the tram to the entrance of the hospital on a road that is also open to other road users. Via its sensors equipped with artificial intelligence, Olli 2.0 can detect road users and other obstacles and adjust its trajectory and speed accordingly. Remarkably, 80% of Olli 2.0’s components are produced by a 3D printer.
And it is not just in Belgium that Ageas is investing in the future of motor transport, Ageas was the first insurer of a 100% electric and fully autonomous vehicle in Portugal back in 2019, where a campus shuttle today operates around the Nova University.