Otokar’s Autonomous e-Centro has started service on November 11, 2025, in Mercamadrid, Spain. It is the first time the Autonomous e-Centro, a CCAM Level 4+ autonomous urban bus, will be in operation in Europe, operated by Alsa, the largest bus operator of the country.
Otokar’s Autonomous e-Centro, which has entirely in-house developed autonomous driving technology, is Alsa’s first CCAM Level 4 + autonomous bus, which will operate in open traffic with passengers. Alsa provides autonomous services in Mercamadrid, a "smart urban area" in coorperation with Madrid City Council Digital Office. This vehicle is a part of Mobilities for EU Project, which is the part of the European strategy for sustainable, connected, and safe mobility. Otokar’s Level 4 + autonomous technology is tested by INSIA, authorized testing center by Spanish authorities. All technical documentation is approved by the Spanish Directorate General of Traffic (DGT). The DGT authorization allowed the Autonomous e-Centro to be used on controlled public roads, within supervised testing and validation programs. Equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving technology, the e-Centro is capable of fully driverless operation and is
designed to comply with traffic regulations. Otokar states the bus precisely approaches designated stops, ensuring smooth boarding and disembarkation for passengers. This autonomous "driver" has advanced manoeuvring capabilities including swerving, overtaking, reverse driving, U-turns, uphill/downhill management, roundabout and unregulated intersection management. All software development, testing, and implementation for the Autonomous e-Centro were carried out entirely by Otokar. The Turkish manufacturer emphasises that the Autonomous e-Centro has successfully completed comprehensive testing by TÜV Rheinland in Hungary and that over a 30-day period the vehicle was evaluated in 148 different scenario variations and passed more than 600 autonomous driving tests.