The Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) has granted the Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge (ika) at RWTH Aachen University a nationwide testing permit for the autonomous research vehicle “karl.” We're delighted about this, because testing and research took place at the Aldenhoven Testing Center, too.
“karl.” is based on OpenADS, the open-source ecosystem for autonomous driving initiated by RWTH. The platform enables Level 4 autonomous driving, in which, in principle, no driver is required. As part of the safety concept, however, a safety driver is always present in the vehicle during testing.
With “karl.” and OpenADS, the development of autonomous driving in Europe is reaching the next level. As a joint venture between RWTH Aachen University and the District of Düren, we serve as an open mobility test center for universities and interested companies—especially SMEs and startups.
Find more information about karl. here.
![[karl. steep curve Aldenhoven Testing Center]](/images/blog/2026/karl/karl-01.webp)
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