During the project, ConVeX, which is co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), tested and demonstrated several use cases for C-V2X, including Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) direct communication operating in the 5.9GHz ITS frequencies, as well as Vehicle-to-Network (V2N) wide area communication. For these tests, Audi vehicles and SWARCO’s intelligent road infrastructure were equipped with C-V2X technology based on the Qualcomm^® 9150 C-V2X Platform.

ConVeX investigated the reliability, range and performance of C-V2X direct communication using 5.9 GHz between vehicles and with infrastructure at varying speeds. Testing delivered 100 percent reliable reception of safety messages in line of sight conditions of up to 1.2 km, with the distance limited by the length of the test roads. The test was conducted with relative vehicle speeds between two vehicles traveling in opposite directions of up to 430 km/h. These tests were conducted at two locations on the German A9 and A6 motorways.

Tests were also conducted in urban conditions with completely “blind” intersections and showed at least 140 m range with safety messages delivered at 100 percent reliability for the V2V communication, which underlines the high effectiveness of C-V2X direct communication over multiple use cases, for example Intersection Movement Assist (IMA), Left Turn Assist (LTA), and Forward Collision Warning (FCW).

In parallel to real world tests, extensive simulations were conducted by the Technical University of Kaiserslautern to corroborate the very good field performance of C-V2X.  

V2N testing leveraged an Ericsson network supporting 5G concepts such as network slicing and geo-casting for use cases such as hazardous icy road alert. Thanks to the characteristics of 5G cellular networks, traffic information is consistently delivered with low latency and high reliability over arbitrarily long ranges that are determined by the application needs, rather than by communication capabilities.

During the trial, ConVeX also demonstrated the reliability, range and performance of the communication technology with the world’s first cross-border demonstration for C-V2X direct communication between vehicles and with infrastructure across the three Trans-European borders, which included France, Luxembourg and Germany. The detailed project results from this trial, as well as all related documentation can be found at the ConVeX website https://convex-project.de/deliverables.html

Running approximately every half hour on weekdays, the EasyMile EZ10 autonomous electric bus will carry passengers from the Munno Para Railway Station to the Playford Alive Township, including stops at Mark Oliphant College and the Stretton Centre. 

The free autonomous shuttle bus service will include a morning and afternoon service window, with passengers collected from designated pick up points on the route.

The Munno Para service is phase two of the Playford Connect autonomous bus trial, following on from phase one which provided a free park and ride service from the Lionsgate Carpark through to the Lyell McEwin Hospital in Elizabeth Vale from October 2018 to June 2019.

Phase two of the trial is a joint project between the City of Playford, French autonomous vehicle manufacturer EasyMile, local intelligent transport system specialists SAGE Automation and the State Government.

New technology under test is designed to provide alerts to drivers about potentially dangerous situations, such as when another vehicle on an intersecting road is likely to run a red light or when vehicles further down the road have stopped suddenly.

In addition to road-safety benefits, the connected-vehicle technologies can also promote smoother traffic flow, helping alleviate congestion and reduce emissions and fuel consumption.

The trial involves two Lexus RX 450h F Sport SUVs which, due to their size and capabilities, form an ideal platform to test cooperative intelligent transport systems using cellular vehicle-to-everything technology.

Specialized equipment fitted to the vehicles adds to their capabilities by enabling them to relay critical safety information between each other and networks at super-high speed in situations where every millisecond counts.

The cars – like every new Lexus on sale in Australia – are equipped as standard with Lexus active safety systems that can help avoid collisions or mitigate the effects of an accident in a wide range of situations.

Following on-track development and testing at the Lexus test track in the Melbourne suburb of Altona, testing will now occur on Victorian roads.

The ground-breaking study brings together the Lexus connected vehicle services department along with VicRoads, the Transport Accident Commission and Telstra.

Lexus Australia chief executive Scott Thompson said the company was proud to be the leading automotive brand for connected-vehicle research in Australia.

The new IVICS, supported by major technologies such as processing sensor fusion information for vehicle perception, roadside perception, data compression, communication optimization and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) terminal software and hardware and V2X safety, will create a synergistic interaction of smart cars and intelligent roadways. The Apollo IVICS open-source solution marks a milestone in the development of Baidu’s open autonomous driving platform, as it signifies Apollo’s integral opening-up of both vehicles and road infrastructure.

Apollo has been in use in different scenarios in areas such as Beijing and Silicon Valley, enabling autonomous driving features in passenger vehicles, minibuses and logistic vehicles, which lays a solid foundation for Baidu’s IVICS and future intelligent transportation. Building on Apollo’s open ecosystem, Baidu announced that it will collaborate with partners including China Unicom, Datang Telecom and China Transinfo on the initiative. Through integrating resources from various sectors of telecommunications, chips, automobile manufacturing, transportation infrastructure construction, government and universities, Apollo will facilitate the development of IVICS.

A trial run of the system will be conducted in China’s pilot AI city – Xiong’an new area. In addition, Baidu will partner with the College of Transportation Engineering at Tongji University to establish a joint laboratory and collaborate in the planning and design of autonomous driving networks and simulation of traffic systems.

To ensure safety and enable immediate deployment, the DragonFly Pod which maxes out at 20 miles per hour is initially equipped for corporate and university campuses and areas with limited traffic to transport employees and goods. Following technology enhancements, PerceptIn will be able to deploy vehicles suited for high-speed scenarios.

Source: PerceptIn

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is demonstrating its progress in the development of automated driving technology and other project work to the investor community this week.

Since unveiling its Platform 2.0 research vehicle in March 2017, TRI has quickly updated its automated driving technology. The next iteration, dubbed Platform 2.1, is being shown for the first time on a closed-course. In parallel with the creation of this innovative test platform, TRI has made strong advances in deep learning computer perception models that allow the automated vehicle system to more accurately understand the vehicle surroundings, detecting objects and roadways, and better predict a safe driving route. These new architectures are faster, more efficient and more highly accurate. In addition to object detection, the models’ prediction capabilities can also provide data about road elements, such as road signs and lane markings, to support the development of maps, which are a key component of automated driving functionality.

Platform 2.1 also expands TRI’s portfolio of suppliers, incorporating a new high-fidelity LIDAR system provided by Luminar. This new LIDAR provides a longer sensing range, a much denser point cloud to better detect positions of three-dimensional objects, and a field of view that is the first to be dynamically configurable, which means that measurement points can be concentrated where sensing is needed most. The new LIDAR is married to the existing sensing system for 360-degree coverage. TRI expects to source additional suppliers as disruptive technology becomes available in the future.

On Platform 2.1, TRI created a second vehicle control cockpit on the front passenger side with a fully operational drive-by-wire steering wheel and pedals for acceleration and braking. This setup allows the research team to probe effective methods of transferring vehicle control between the human driver and the autonomous system in a range of challenging scenarios. It also helps with development of machine learning algorithms that can learn from expert human drivers and provide coaching to novice drivers.

TRI has also designed a unified approach to showing the various states of autonomy in the vehicle, using a consistent UI across screens, colored lights and a tonal language that is tied into Guardian and Chauffeur. The institute is also experimenting with increasing a driver’s situational awareness by showing a point cloud representation of everything the car “sees” on the multi-media screen in the center stack.

With its broad-based advances in hardware and software, Platform 2.1 is a research tool for concurrent testing of TRI’s dual approaches to vehicle autonomy – Guardian and Chauffeur – using a single technology stack. Under Guardian, the human driver maintains vehicle control and the automated driving system operates in parallel, monitoring for potential crash situations and intervening to protect vehicle occupants when needed. Chauffeur is Toyota’s version of SAE Level 4/5 autonomy where all vehicle occupants are passengers. Both approaches use the same technology stack of sensors and cameras. This week marks the first time the Guardian and Chauffeur systems have been demonstrated on the same platform, which includes multiple test scenarios to demonstrate TRI’s advances in both applications.

These include the ability of the Guardian system to detect distracted or drowsy driving in certain situations, and to take action if the driver does not react to turns in the road. In such a situation, the system first warns and then will intervene with braking and steering to safely follow the road’s curvature. Chauffeur test scenarios demonstrate the vehicle’s ability to drive itself on a closed course, navigate around road obstacles, and make a safe lane change around an impediment in its path with another vehicle travelling at the same speed in the lane next to it.

In addition to real-world testing, TRI is using simulation to accurately and safely test engineering assumptions, and investors can experience automated driving test scenarios in a virtual simulator.

Source: TRI

The GATEway team is delighted to announce that for the next phase, commencing in the Autumn, Fusion Processing will provide sensing and control equipment on the brand new pods that are being built by Westfield Sportscars. The pods are based on the original Heathrow Airport platform pod design and have been updated for use in first and last mile transportation operational environments.

Simon Tong from TRL is the Technical Lead on the project and explains the new development, “GATEway has always been focused on exploring public perception and understanding of driverless vehicles. With Fusion joining the team, GATEway is in a unique position to let the public interact with three very different autonomous control systems during our urban trials. Each of our autonomy providers – Fusion Processing, Oxbotica and Gobotix – are great British success stories and together with Westfield they represent the diversity of driverless expertise in the UK.”

In April this year, the GATEway project provided over a hundred members of the public an opportunity to ride in the first prototype driverless pod in Greenwich powered by Oxbotica’s Selenium autonomous control system.

In the next phase of the project, using Fusion Processing’s autonomy system, the GATEway project intends to transport hundreds more people with a fleet of new Westfield pods based at the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Dr Graeme Smith, CEO of Oxbotica said “It was an amazing opportunity for us to step into the GATEway project and deploy our Selenium autonomy system into the prototype pod and demonstrate it so successfully in research trials conducted by the Royal College of Art and TRL. We wish Westfield and Fusion well as they take their product closer to a production phase”

Simon further states that, “This is a really exciting time for the project. We’re very grateful to Oxbotica for all they have contributed in helping us learn more about the complexities of operating a driverless pod in an urban environment. With Fusion we look to build on all we have learned for our fleet of new driverless pods so that GATEway can conclude with a trial that will engage as many people as possible and hopefully amaze them at the same time.”

This trial is one of a number of automated vehicle tests within the GATEway project investigating public acceptance of automated vehicles within the urban mobility landscape. Other trials in the project include last-mile automated deliveries (tested in June 2017) and autonomous valet parking (due to be tested later in 2017).

GATEway is jointly funded by government and industry. The government’s £100m Intelligent Mobility fund is administered by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and delivered by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

Source: GATEway

Taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab, the GATEway Project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) is a world-leading research programme, led by TRL and funded by UK government and industry. It aims to demonstrate the use of autonomous vehicles for ‘last mile’ deliveries and mobility, seamlessly connecting existing distribution and transport hubs with residential and commercial areas using zero emission, low noise transport systems.

CargoPod, developed by Oxbotica as part of the GATEway Project, is guided by their state-of-the-art autonomy software system Selenium, which enables real-time, accurate navigation, planning and perception in dynamic environments. The pod is able to carry a total of 128kg of groceries at a time.

Uniquely, the focus of the study is both on the commercial opportunities of self-driving technology and how it functions alongside people in a residential environment. This, the third of four trials with the GATEway Project, is exploring the public’s perceptions and understanding of driverless delivery vehicles. Ocado Technology is using the trials to explore the logistics and practicalities of deploying self-driving vehicles as part of the last mile offering for the Ocado Smart Platform, an end-to-end solution for providing bricks and mortar grocery retailers around the world with a shortcut for moving online.

The research findings will also help guide the wider roll out of autonomous vehicles which, in the future, may play an important role in cutting inner city congestion and air pollution. The trial is run in partnership with ‘Digital Greenwich’, an initiative that has established Greenwich internationally as a flagship ‘smart city’, where new technologies are being developed and tested in real, complex urban environments. GATEway is one of several projects taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab at Greenwich – an open, real world, validated test environment for the evaluation of the next generation of connected and autonomous vehicles.

The GATEway project is supported by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), a joint Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Transport (DfT) unit.

“The GATEway project is unique in that it considers the effect of automated vehicles on the movement of goods as well as the movement of people. This trial with Ocado Technology provides an ideal platform to help us understand how and where these vehicles could best operate and whether people would accept, trust and like them as an automated delivery service in the city. We envisage that cities could benefit massively if deliveries could be made by quiet, zero emission, automated vehicles when congestion is minimal.” Simon Tong, Principal Research Scientist (TRL) and technical lead for the GATEway project.

Source: Oxbotica

A study by the University of Southampton has shown the length of time needed for a driver to switch from automated vehicle control to manual vehicle control is crucial for the safety of future automated vehicles.

Simulations run by a team at the University showed a very broad range of ‘control transition times’ for participants to resume control of their car. The researchers believe their findings will be important for system designers when considering the lead time needed to take control of a vehicle and suggest the focus shouldn’t just be on the average time needed for a person to successfully switch, but rather on the range of resumption times.

Results are published in the journal ‘Human Factors’.

Engineers Professor Neville Stanton and Alexander Eriksson found that, under non-critical conditions, drivers needed between 1.9 and 25.7 seconds to take control from automation. Such a large range reflects a variety of driver behaviour and environmental conditions.

The authors observed 26 men and women (aged between 20 and 52) engaged in simulated driving at 70 mph, with and without a potentially distracting non-driving secondary task. They recorded response times as the drivers took over or relinquished control of the automated system. A takeover request was issued at random intervals ranging from 30 to 45 seconds during normal motorway-driving conditions. The authors found that drivers engaged in a secondary task, prior to a control transition, took longer to respond – posing a safety hazard.

Professor Stanton comments: “We hope our findings can guide policymakers in setting guidelines for how much lead time a driver will need when changing in and out of automation. The challenge for designers is accommodating the full range of response times rather than limiting parameters to mean or median transition times.”

The researchers warn that if the lead time for normal non-critical control transitions are decided upon based on data obtained in studies utilising critical situations, there is a risk of unwanted consequences.

Alexander Eriksson explains: “Too short a lead time, for example seven seconds prior to taking control, as found in some studies of critical response time, could prevent drivers from responding optimally. This results in a stressed transition process, whereby drivers may accidentally swerve, make sudden lane changes, or brake harshly. Such actions are acceptable in safety-critical scenarios when drivers may have to avoid a crash, but could pose a safety hazard for other road users in non-critical situations.”

Source: University of Southampton

The UK’s first demonstration of a ‘teleoperated’ autonomous vehicle service for people with reduced mobility has been completed as part of the GATEway project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment), which is being led by TRL.

The demonstration, which took place at the InterContinental Hotel in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, used an autonomous-enabled Toyota Prius. It marked the end of a fortnight of testing in which GATEway partners Gobotix and O2 demonstrated remote operation of an unmanned vehicle.

The demonstration aimed to show how near-market technology could benefit disabled and older drivers with limited mobility. Using proof of concept technology developed by Gobotix, a wheelchair user drove himself to his final destination before disembarking. The driver then enlisted the support of a remote operator to park his vehicle using 3G and 4G cellular technology from telecommunications provider, O2.

The autonomous system in the Toyota Prius has been developed by Gobotix as a prototype platform for research and development and can operate in both manual and autonomous mode. For specific situations when cellular coverage would not be possible, such as underground car park, the user can also control the vehicle using an app on their own tablet device to manoeuvre or park it from a short distance using in-car Wi-Fi.

Automated vehicle technology has the potential to enhance mobility for people with additional travel needs, including those who are older or have disabilities. But with fully automated, all-weather vehicles not expected to operate on UK roads for a number of years, Gobotix is focusing on what can be done now to drive more immediate benefits.

“Everybody is waiting for the arrival of fully automated vehicles, but there’s a lot that vehicle manufacturers can be doing already with existing technology to help improve accessibility and mobility for older and disabled drivers, ” said Dr Ben Davis, technical director at Gobotix. “Many modern cars can be adapted so that they are driveable by a remote pilot and what we’ve demonstrated as part of GATEway is proof of that. By offering a remote teleoperation service, we can remove common concerns around boarding and alighting. It’s about empowering those with reduced mobility to retain independence through the use of technology.”

Toby Veall, a disability consultant and full-time wheelchair user following a spinal cord injury, who took part in the demonstration. “It’s very difficult for able-bodied people to fully understand the challenges facing disabled drivers. One of the main problems is finding suitable parking, which ideally is a disabled space but is not always possible. Other challenges include cars parking too close preventing access to the driver’s door, uneven surfaces like gravel or grass and hazards such as steep curbs, slopes and cambers. The use of a simple app to remotely park the car would be warmly welcomed by myself and many others with mobility problems and help to remove parking anxieties and improve independence.”

Gobotix has designed to technology work on a range of vehicles that have increasingly common electronic controls and sensors. Using forward facing sensors, the software interprets images and communicates with the vehicle’s systems to enable remote operation by a computer or smartphone. Connectivity is provided by a machine-to-machine SIM that is able to tap into any network and works on 3G and 4G, while the video feed on the vehicle is used to facilitate obstacle detection and adjust speed accordingly.

The system enables cars to be driven semi-autonomously in areas that have not been mapped. It also enables remote recovery of fully automated vehicles should something go wrong, such as software faults or sensor breakdowns. Using the technology a human operator can intervene to remotely navigate vehicles back to a safe location or state of operation.

Dr Davis said: “In the future, it is anticipated that the technology could be applied to fleets of fully automated vehicles, which could be controlled and operated from a remote control centre when necessary. With further investment, it might also prove useful for local authorities or transport planners looking to improve utilisation and efficiency of car parking in cities. We could make buildings and cities even more accessible beyond just having dedicated disabled spaces.”

Billy D’Arcy managing director, O2’s enterprise & public sector business, said: “The GATEway project is a perfect example of this and we’re pleased to be supporting it by providing connectivity and counsel for the pilot. What we’ve shown at Greenwich is how connecting key services via the O2 network and an app on mobile devices, can offer huge mobility benefits to many.”

The demonstration is one of a number of trials taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab as part of the GATEway project. Other trials include automated passenger shuttles, automated urban deliveries and high-fidelity simulator tests to investigate how drivers of regular vehicles respond and adapt their behaviour to the presence of automated vehicles on the roads.

The GATEway project is a two-year research programme, led by TRL and jointly funded by government and industry. It aims to investigate the use, perception and acceptance of automated vehicles for ‘last mile’ mobility.

GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) is an £8m research project, led by TRL and jointly funded by government and industry, to understand and overcome the technical, legal and societal challenges of implementing automated vehicles in an urban environment.

Taking place in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the project will trial and validate a series of different use cases for automated vehicles, including driverless shuttles and automated urban deliveries.

GATEway is one of several projects taking place in the UK Smart Mobility Lab at Greenwich – an open, real world, test environment for connected and automated vehicles. It is one of three projects awarded by Innovate UK under the Introducing driverless cars to UK roads competition.

Source: Transport Xtra

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk announced the changes on Wednesday, saying his goal is to demonstrate a vehicle traveling in fully autonomous mode from Los Angeles to New York by the end of next year. Autonomous features will be introduced over time based on what he dubbed “Hardware 2,” he said.

Tesla cars already come with a semi-autonomous system called Autopilot. But having a fully autonomous car on the road by 2018 would put the Palo Alto, Calif., auto maker ahead of major car companies racing to develop their own self-driving models. Companies from Ford Motor Co. to BMW AG have proposed fully autonomous vehicles in 2021. Alphabet Inc.’s Google has a fully autonomous test fleet on public roadways, but the company hasn’t detailed its plan for the technology it has been working on for more than seven years.

The software that would make Tesla vehicles fully self-driving still needs to be validated, and the system hasn’t been approved by regulators. The company expects to reach those milestones in time, ultimately leading to vehicles that Mr. Musk said would be significantly less dangerous than current cars.

“It will take us some time into the future to complete validation of the software and to get the required regulatory approval, but the important thing is that the foundation is laid for the cars to be fully autonomous at a safety level we believe to be at least twice that of a person, maybe better,” Mr. Musk told reporters on Wednesday.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

A driverless car has been tested among members of the public for the first time in the UK, in Milton Keynes.
The two-seater electric vehicle travelled in a 1km (0.6-mile) loop on the pavements around the town’s railway station.

The team behind it hopes a fleet of 40 of the pods will be available to the public next year.

It called the test “a landmark step” towards bringing self-driving vehicles to the roads of the UK.

Local dignitaries and members of the press sat alongside a safety driver, who was there to take the car out of autonomous mode in the case of an emergency.

Programme director Neil Fulton said: “This public demonstration represents a major milestone for autonomous vehicles in the UK and the culmination of an extensive project involving UK companies and experts.

The autonomy software running the vehicle, called Selenium, was developed by Oxford University’s Oxford Robotics Institute and integrated by Oxford University spinout company Oxbotica.

Selenium uses data from cameras and LIDAR systems to navigate its way around the environment.

“Oxford University’s technology will go on to power automated vehicles around the world, and the project will now feed into a much wider programme of autonomous trials across the UK,” said Mr Fulton.

“Driverless vehicles are coming to Britain, and what we have demonstrated today is a huge step on that journey.”

Virtual mapping
The UK government is keen to lead the way on the development of driverless car technology and earlier this year launched a consultation on changes to insurance rules and motoring regulations to allow driverless cars to be used
by 2020.

It said it would allow such vehicles to be tested on motorways from next year.

The trial in Milton Keynes is the culmination of 18 months planning, which required a virtual mapping of the town along with extensive work with Milton Keynes Council to ensure the vehicles would be safe, conform to regulations and be accepted by the public.

Mr Fulton said that public response to the vehicles, which will be on show for three days, had been “overwhelmingly positive.”

‘Huge opportunities’
Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: “Today’s first public trials of driverless vehicles in our towns is a ground-breaking moment and further evidence that Britain is at the forefront of innovation.

“The global market for autonomous vehicles present huge opportunities for our automotive and technology firms.

“And the research that underpins the technology and software will have applications way beyond autonomous vehicles.”

There are other driverless car trials being carried out, in Bristol and London. Both are likely to conduct public trials in coming months.

Source: BBC news

Bosch, an important supplier for Tesla’s Autopilot program, also likes to use Tesla vehicles for its own autonomous driving programs. The latest example is a new self-driving Model S prototype financed in part by the Victorian Government and deployed in Australia.

It is believed to be “Australia’s first locally-developed self-driving car”.

Bosch engineers have been developing the vehicle at the German electronics giant’s Australian headquarters in Clayton, Victoria, where the vehicle was unveiled today.

Gavin Smith , President at Bosch Australia, told local press that the vehicle deployed today was the most advanced autonomous car developed by Bosch and one of five prototypes: “This one, however, is the most advanced, incorporating some very sophisticated human machine interface, which allows the car to detect which driver is in the passenger seat and change the configuration of it to suit that driver and their preferences.”

Indeed, the human machine interface aspect of this vehicle is interesting. There are several internal cameras monitoring the driver in order to study the interaction with the level 4 autonomous vehicle. SAE considers a Level 4 as an automated system that can conduct the driving task and monitor the driving environment, and the human need not take back control, but the automated system can operate only in certain environments and under certain conditions.

It is reminiscent of an MIT study installing cameras in Tesla vehicles to monitor the drivers when they use Autopilot.

As for the sensors to actually drive the vehicle, we are talking about six radars, six LIDARs, high-resolution GPS, and a stereo video camera. That’s a lot of sensors.

Smith said that the vehicle will undergo testing in Victoria for the next week and it will go through “hundreds of additional drivers or passengers” after: “It will be on the roads over the following week, and we look forward to experiencing it with hundreds of additional drivers or passengers, so they too can understand what these cars are capable of,”

Source: Electrek

The French capital’s transport authority will on Saturday (24th September) carry out its first test of a driverless minibus, in the hope that regular routes for the hi-tech vehicles will be up and running within two years.

The electric-powered driverless EZ10 minibus, able to carry up to 12 passengers, has already been tested on closed circuits in Japan, Singapore and California and in a road test in Helsinki. One of the self-driving shuttle buses, made by French hi-tech firm Easymile, will on Saturday run along a special circuit in Paris on a pedestrianised street near the River Seine. The bus will travel at 25 kilometres (15 miles) an hour and for RATP, the transport authority for the Paris region, it is the start of a series of tests. The second test, to be held in the French capital before the end of the year, will see the EZ10 running between two major transport hubs, the Lyon and Austerlitz train stations. “The autonomous vehicle presents an opportunity for new services notably in less densely populated areas,” RATP president Elisabeth Borne said in a statement. The east-central French town of Lyon carried out its own test on a driverless minibus this month.

Source: vangaurdngr.com

A year and a half ago, Uber set up an Advanced Technologies Center (ATC) in Pittsburgh. Its mission: to make self-driving Ubers a reality. Today, we’re excited to announce that the world’s first Self-Driving Ubers are now on the road in the Steel City.

We’re inviting our most loyal Pittsburgh customers to experience the future first. If a Self-Driving Uber is available, we’ll send it along with a safety driver up front to make sure the ride goes smoothly. Otherwise it’s uberX as usual.

This pilot is a big step forward. Real-world testing is critical to the success of this technology. And creating a viable alternative to individual car ownership is important to the future of cities.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmofgf-Y3Mc&w=360&h=260?rel=0]

Of course, we can’t predict exactly what the future will hold. But we know that self-driving Ubers have enormous potential to further our mission and improve society: reducing the number of traffic accidents, which today kill 1.3 million people a year; freeing up the 20 percent of space in cities currently used to park the world’s billion plus cars; and cutting congestion, which wastes trillions of hours every year.

We know that many drivers will have questions about this technology. It’s still very early: Self-Driving Ubers have a safety driver in the front seat because they require human intervention in many conditions, including bad weather. Even when these technology issues get fixed, we believe ridesharing will be a mix—with services provided by both drivers and Self-Driving Ubers. This is because of the limits of self-driving software and the skyrocketing demand for better transportation which people-powered transport is uniquely able to solve.

Technology also creates new work opportunities while disrupting existing ones. Many predicted that the ATM would spell doom for bank tellers. In fact, ATMs cut the cost of running a local bank so more branches opened, employing more people. Self-Driving Ubers will be on the road 24 hours a day, which means they will need a lot more human maintenance than cars today.

We couldn’t be more excited about what’s next. But to make it happen, we need to lead by fusing our great ridesharing network with great self-driving software and hardware. Our ATC efforts combined with our recent Otto acquisition mean we have one of the strongest self-driving engineering groups in the world, as well as the experience that comes from running a ridesharing and delivery network in hundreds of cities. And our existing partnerships with drivers, as well as new ones with manufacturers like Volvo, will ensure a world-class customer experience for generations to come.

Anthony Levandowski
Founder, Otto and VP, Self-Driving Technology, Uber

Travis Kalanick
CEO and Co-Founder, Uber

Source: Uber

Transport Minister Simon Bridges says an announcement by Volvo and the New Zealand Traffic Institute (Trafinz) of an autonomous vehicle trial will be a first for New Zealand.

Volvo and Trafinz aim to demonstrate the technology in Tauranga in November as part of the national Trafinz transport conference.

“This is will be the first trial of its kind in New Zealand and reflects our world-leading regulation around autonomous vehicles, which encourages new technology while protecting public safety ,” Mr Bridges says.

“The Government is ensuring New Zealand stays at the forefront of transport innovation, with recent reviews of the rules relating to autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Small Passenger Service operators, respectively.

“Autonomous vehicles will be a big part of the future of transport and offer potential safety, efficiency and environmental benefits. It is exciting to see international recognition that New Zealand is at the forefront of enabling this technology.

“Testing in New Zealand also enables an understanding of how the technology responds to the New Zealand environment and allows our transport sector to gain skills in deploying and managing new technology.”

The New Zealand Transport Agency and Ministry of Transport are working with Volvo and Trafinz to ensure the trial will operate within the law, including appropriately managing any safety risks.

Source: Scoop Media