Queensland will play host to Australia's largest trial of driverless and connected vehicles, with on-road testing expected to be launched in 2019.
The State Government's Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety Mark Bailey says the four-year trial will be held in Ipswich, where about 500 motorists will have their vehicles retrofitted with cooperative intelligent transport systems technology (C-ITS).
“To realise the potential benefits of these emerging technologies, we will undertake a trial over the next four years as part of the Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI),” Bailey says.
“These C-ITS devices work by providing safety warnings to the driver about a range of conditions – for example, a pedestrian crossing at a signalised intersection, a red light runner or a queue ahead that isn’t visible to a driver."
The trial will be run by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in collaboration with German multinational Bosch.
Bosch unveiled the first self-driving car developed in Australia in October, as part of a collaboration with the Victorian Government, which invested $1.2 million in the project.
The car used a Tesla shell fitted with Bosch components. Bosch President Gavin Smith told the ABC that while the car still required someone be behind the wheel, it was capable of navigating roads without driver input.
The car's key features include inbuilt sensors to detect and avoid hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.
"We have developed this vehicle to what we would describe as level four highly autonomous state, which is just before you get to a driverless car," Smith said.
"The function within incorporates 60 additional components, six radars, six LIDARs, high-resolution GPS, and a stereo video camera.
"It has an additional two kilometres of copper wire running through the vehicle. It has more than 13 networks.
"The computer power would probably put a spaceship on the moon."
Speaking about the Queensland project, Bosch Australia’s Mark Jackman said the future of mobility will be connected, electrified and automated.
“The Queensland Government’s CAVI project is another example where industry and government will work together to trial and validate the benefits these new technologies will bring to the market,” Jackman says.
“The Bosch highly automated driving vehicle will be used in trials and demonstrations across Australia to assist government and its agencies to prepare for when these cars become commercially available.
“Projects such as these are not just vital for the advancement of road safety and public awareness but also for the further development of technical expertise and capability of Bosch Australia engineers.”
Bailey says the C-ITS pilot, the largest of its type in Australia, will see the Palaszczuk Government working with a wide range of industry sectors to adapt existing systems, infrastructure and data.
“It will also build public support and awareness, and develop new industry partnerships,” he says.
The CAVI project is co-funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission. It will be delivered with the support of a number of organisations including Ipswich City Council, Bosch Australia and QUT’s Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q).