Communication on autonomous driving vehicles

From 2020 to the end of 2022, Wisse Kommunikatie was commissioned by the province of Gelderland to handle communications for a demonstration project on autonomous driving vehicles.

The project, carried out under the name Interregional Automated Transport or I-AT, was a follow-up to the province's pilot of autonomous driving shuttles and consisted of developing a new vehicle. The aim was partly to gain insight into the available technology and partly to gain experience in using autonomous driving vehicles on public roads. Wisse Kommunikatie acquired the assignment because of our experience with a number of similar projects, such as the promotion of autogas in the Netherlands and two pilot projects for driving on hydrogen.

‘Car components’

The assignment had a number of components:

Developing and producing communication materials such as the Dutch and German I-AT website, a PowerPoint template, brochures and invitations; pull-up banners, posters, displays and billboards for the pilot projects and events, and finally a video and a booklet on the results of the project. In collaboration with a graphic design agency, we developed our own and highly recognisable corporate identity for the I-AT Project.

Carrying out internal communication with the more than 20 Dutch and German project partners, such as regional authorities, educational institutions, scientific institutes and companies. Besides the regular consultations with the project partners and work package leaders and periodic status updates by e-mail, the project partners were also invited to all events (co-)organised by the I-AT project.

Supporting the ‘Knowledge Management’ working group, whose task it was to make knowledge about the project generally accessible. This was done not only with the help of a knowledge base filled by Wisse and linked to the website, but also by organising events such as a workshop at Weeze Airport (where one of the pilot projects was running), a seminar on truck platooning, Demo Days at the test track in Aldenhoven, Germany, and a master class on setting up a project with autonomous driving shuttles.

External communications, PR and media relations. Among other things, Wisse Kommunikatie took care of the publication of information on the I-AT websites and the social media channels of the province of Gelderland. In addition, we made information material available to interested parties, and arranged invitations to the events and press information. We outsourced the production and dispatch of press information and media contacts in Germany to one of our German PR partners.

Promotion

The press was kept informed of developments during the project through press releases. They were also invited to all events.

In particular, the launch of the pilot in Weeze (the first autonomous driving vehicle on public roads in Germany), the workshop on truck platooning in Kleve (DE), the Demo Days on the test track in Aldenhoven (DE), the handing over of the WEpod to the Technova College in Ede (NL) and the press event on the occasion of the launch of the pilot project for mail delivery by freight bicycle in Nijmegen (NL) were picked up very well by the Dutch and German trade press, newspapers and radio and television. In addition - apart from the press events and press releases - a number of interviews and articles about the I-AT Project were also published.