At the international Busworld Brussels 2025 exhibition, a landmark event in public transport, ACTIA unveiled its latest innovation: the POWER DRIVE CORTEX, a next-generation digital cockpit concept designed for urban buses. With this solution, ACTIA offers more than just a technological evolution: it represents a complete transformation of the driver’s station architecture, built around a centralized High Performance Computer (HPC), an intuitive digital interface, and onboard intelligence serving safety, operational performance, and driver comfort.
In the context of the transition to connected, intelligent, and software-defined vehicles (SDV), the POWER DRIVE CORTEX concept establishes itself as a groundbreaking solution on the market, designed from the outset to address the new challenges of urban mobility: simplified electronic architectures, compliance with safety standards, optimized maintenance costs, and enhanced driver experience.
This innovation has already been recognized: the POWER DRIVE CORTEX cockpit concept has been shortlisted at Busworld 2025! It is featured among the highlighted solutions this year:
- Finalist at the Busworld Digital Awards 2025, in the “Digital On Board Comfort” category.
- Shortlisted for the Busworld Innovations 2025, an award directly decided by visitors after exploring the innovations on display.
ACTIA invites all professionals attending to discover the POWER DRIVE CORTEX cockpit and support the project during the voting process.
A centralized architecture for an intelligent, scalable, and connected cockpit
At the heart of POWER DRIVE CORTEX lies a key idea: centralizing all dashboard functions around a single high-performance computer. Whereas traditional architectures rely on multiple independent ECUs (Electronic Control Units) — sources of complexity and costs — ACTIA offers a unique integrated system powered by an ultra-high-performance HPC capable of managing all cockpit functions smoothly, rapidly, and coherently.
This major technological choice makes it possible to rethink vehicle architecture: reduced wiring, space savings, easier integration, and faster installation. For manufacturers, this means significant reductions in integration and maintenance costs, as well as greater industrial flexibility. Because the system is fully modular and designed to evolve, future regulatory or technological updates can be deployed without hardware overhauls — a decisive advantage in a constantly evolving sector.
With POWER DRIVE CORTEX, ACTIA delivers a platform ready for SDVs, capable of integrating new remote services, communicating with the cloud, and adapting to vehicle evolutions throughout its lifecycle.
Safety, perception, and comfort: an enhanced driver experience
The driver’s station is no longer just a set of controls and screens. In complex urban environments, visual perception, responsiveness, and driver attentiveness are critical factors for safety. POWER DRIVE CORTEX therefore integrates high-definition rear-projected displays, effectively replacing conventional smart screens while offering wider visibility and improved visual comfort. This technical choice reduces eye fatigue and enhances peripheral awareness — an essential advantage for detecting lateral hazards, anticipating trajectory changes, and avoiding blind spots.
But the technology goes beyond displays. The cockpit integrates advanced AI-powered functions that feed ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), ensuring a high level of assistance in daily driving. The Driver Monitoring System (DMS), compliant with GSR2 requirements, analyzes signs of fatigue or distraction in real time and can trigger alerts or corrective actions in case of potential danger.
Ergonomics have also been carefully designed. While the interface is modern and fully digital, ACTIA has maintained essential physical controls to meet driver expectations and ensure quick, intuitive handling. This harmonious balance between modernity and pragmatism facilitates immediate adoption by professional drivers — a key criterion for public transport operators.
A strategic advantage for OEMs and smart cities
Designed as a “turnkey” solution, POWER DRIVE CORTEX directly addresses bus manufacturers (OEMs) seeking to save time, reduce system complexity, and stand out in the market. Its ready-to-use architecture enables plug & play integration: simply connect the HPC to the vehicle’s digital backbone to instantly activate all cockpit functions.
This approach offers a triple advantage:
- Reduced production and maintenance costs, thanks to centralized electronics and a fanless system.
- Increased robustness, with fewer scattered electronic components and therefore fewer failure points.
- The ability to innovate quickly, without hardware constraints, via simple and scalable software updates.
POWER DRIVE CORTEX thus enables urban transport players to accelerate their digital transformation while meeting the goals of sustainable, connected, and safe mobility. It also provides a concrete answer to the ambitions of smart cities, which rely on smarter, interconnected, and more efficient fleets to streamline traffic, reduce emissions, and enhance safety.
ACTIA driving smart and sustainable urban mobility
With POWER DRIVE CORTEX, ACTIA takes a new step forward in its innovation strategy for urban mobility. For several years, the Group has established itself as a key player in embedded systems for public transport. By delivering a complete, reliable, and scalable solution, ACTIA reaffirms its role as a technology accelerator for OEMs and a strategic partner for cities transitioning to smart mobility.
POWER DRIVE CORTEX is not just a concept: it is an open, modular, future-oriented platform that redefines the standards of the bus driver’s station.
Together with its manufacturing partners, ACTIA confirms its commitment to collaborating, innovating, and accelerating the digital transformation of public transport, in the service of smarter, more sustainable, and more connected mobility.
Source: ACTIA