Driverless cars to be tested on South Australian roads
The possibility of driverless cars in Australia has cleared a major hurdle to becoming a reality with automated vehicles due to hit the streets of Adelaide in November as part of the country’s first-ever road trials.
Volvo and Toyota were not the only auto manufacturers vying for the driverless vehicle market.
The Adelaide trials will be on November 7 and 8 as the race for a driverless vehicle reality revs up. “We’re seeking technology and automotive industry partners to assist us in Australia’s driverless vehicle innovation”, he added.
“The advent of driverless cars is an opportunity to foster technological innovation and revive Australia’s manufacturing industry – the South Australian Government has been quick to recognise this”.
“We are delighted to be involved with the ARRB demonstration event in South Australia, where we believe Volvo auto Australia can make a positive and significant contribution”. InDaily revealed the Government announcement came a short time after Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan visited Google’s research facility in California, where he was impressed by the company’s progress in driverless technology.
That may prove an ambitious goal, however, with legislation in most states requiring vehicles to be driven directly by a human operator.
Volvo will conduct the testing in conjunction with Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon University, the RAA and Cohda Wireless.
ARRB Group Managing Director Gerard Waldron said: “ARRB will establish how driverless technology needs to be manufactured and introduced for uniquely Australian driving behaviour, our climate and road conditions, including what this means for Australia’s national road infrastructure, markings, surfaces and roadside signage”.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he believes we are only a few years away from having fully-autonomous cars. The South Australian government had been actively engaged for months.
ARRB managing driector Gerald Walton said the trial would involve Australian and global experts in the field, and private sector companies including Telstra and Bosch.
“This trial presents a fantastic opportunity for South Australia to take a lead nationally and internationally in the development of this new technology and open up new opportunities for our economy”, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said.
ARRB says the Adelaide trials will be the first of many across Australia, with discussions underway with a number of jurisdictions.
Google’s self-driving vehicle director Chris Urmon wrote in May that while that fatality-free future through driverless cars is possible, at the moment smaller accidents caused by other cars with human drivers is still a problem.
Mr Waldron said the Australian trials are “vehicle agnostic” and are about ensuring vehicles perform in the local road environment, rather than the vehicles themselves.
Gale said the tech would also benefit those people who can’t drive – such as people with disabilities or the elderly.