Milestone for mobility: HOLON receives approval for autonomous testing on German roads

Paderborn, November 13, 2025. An important milestone for HOLON: The company has received approval for the HOLON urban from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in accordance with §16 AFGBV (Autonomous Vehicles Approval and Operation Ordinance). With this approval, HOLON will be able to test the shuttle in autonomous driving mode (AD) with a safety driver throughout Germany.

The approval marks an important step towards market-ready autonomous mobility solutions: HOLON thus offers public transport support in the implementation of sustainable transport transition projects particularly quickly and efficiently. At the same time, it confirms confidence in the technological maturity of the autonomous shuttle called HOLON urban.

"The nationwide approval for the testing of our autonomous Level-4 shuttle is a milestone for the introduction of autonomous mobility in public transport - and an accolade for HOLON," says Dr. Flavio Friesen, Vice President Engineering at HOLON. "The approval from the KBA paves the way for autonomous transport solutions in Germany and shows that our vehicle system is convincing both technically and regulatorily. We are making great strides towards a new era of mobility."

Start in Hamburg: ALIKE project brings HOLON urban to public roads

This means that the HOLON urban is now starting its autonomous test drives on public roads in Germany. The permit is being used for the first time as part of the ALIKE project together with Hamburger Hochbahn.

In an area of around 37 square kilometres in the heart of the Hanseatic city, the vehicle will gain valuable experience in real city traffic in the future. The test drives will initially be carried out with a safety driver on board. The vehicle performs the driving task completely autonomously and is monitored by the safety driver in the function of a supervisor. Development engineers accompany the test drives for the continuous improvement of the systems.

Dr. Flavio Friesen: "In the ALIKE project, we are united by a common goal: to change mobility. With our HOLON urban, we are providing an important building block for this. The vehicle will make mobility safer, more sustainable and more inclusive. It is designed exclusively for passengers. In this way, we are creating a completely new, comfortable mobility experience – starting in Hamburg."

Regulatory and technological milestones put development on the home stretch

With the nationwide approval according to AFGBV, HOLON will be able to test the autonomous systems in a wide range of operating environments in the future – from large cities to rural regions. The permit is valid until the end of 2026 – with the possibility of an extension. The permit allows nationwide testing on federal, state and district roads, although motorways are currently excluded.

"Recent advances – technological, regulatory and strategic – show that our development is on a stable course and ready for the next step towards market launch. Now it's a matter of validating in real operation and further strengthening confidence in autonomous mobility," says Dr. Friesen.

Preparing for go-to-market and scaling globally

In parallel with technological and regulatory progress, HOLON is driving production preparation and global scaling. Preparations are underway in Jacksonville (Florida) for the establishment of the first production site. Together with its partner InLight, HOLON recently signed a term sheet for the construction of its first production facility in the US. The official groundbreaking ceremony is planned for April 2026. Further locations in Europe and Saudi Arabia are being examined in order to be able to produce close to the market in the future. 

HOLON is pushing ahead with projects in Europe, the USA and the Gulf States to enable HOLON urban to be used in real road operation. "With every project, every technical and regulatory milestone and every test run, we gain decisive insights for series production. We are well on the way to actively shaping the future of urban mobility – safe, sustainable and globally scalable," Dr. Flavio Friesen concludes.