Oman Eyes Wider Autonomous Vehicle Trials After Salalah Test

Muscat – Oman is moving towards wider testing of autonomous electric vehicles (EV) after an operational trial at Salalah Airport provided an opportunity to assess the technology in a real-world environment. The trial assessed the vehicle’s ability to navigate using sensing systems, real-time monitoring and route identification while responding to surrounding conditions and obstacles, according to Abdullah bin Ali Al Busaidi, Director General of the Oman Logistics Centre and net zero expert at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. Speaking to Muscat Daily after the trial, Al Busaidi said the results would help determine the technology’s readiness before moving to broader applications. “The operational trial at Salalah Airport demonstrated the success of the autonomous EV in a real operational environment,” he said. The current stage is focused on evaluating system efficiency and readiness. Further trials will involve testing vehicles under different conditions and in different environments, assessing safety and reliability, and evaluating communication and sensing systems. These assessments will be undertaken alongside work to complete the regulatory and operational requirements needed for wider deployment. Al Busaidi said it was still too early to determine the level of investment required for nationwide expansion, as the project remains in the […]