Adelaide hosts tests of driverless vehicles

PHILIP KING
November 16, 2017
The Australian
Driverless vehicles are being put to the test in the heart of Adelaide this week as the city hosts an inter­national convention that has ­attracted 300 delegates and the leading manufacturers of autonomous shuttles.
Electric vehicles from Easy­Mile, Navya and Aurrigo will ferry passengers from Adelaide Oval to the Convention Centre in demonstrations designed to win converts to driverless vehicles.
Delegates will also be able to travel in BMW, Tesla and Volvo ­cars equipped with level-2 autonomy, which enables “hands-off” highway driving for limited periods.
Road toll operator Transurban has been conducting trials of level-2 cars already available, such as the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class, along the east coast since August. Strategy chief Jeremy Nassau will present the findings at the conference.
BMW spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher said the trial was vital to help overcome local variations in things such as signage. “This is a really important initiative,” she said. “Supplying the vehicles ­ensures the different state bodies understand what they’re dealing with.”
The 2nd International Driverless Vehicle Summit will also hear from experts in autonomous systems, policy and safety on the theme of “translating technology to real-world deployment”.
One of the organisers, Rita ­Excell, said Australia could be one of the first countries with autonomous vehicles and the summit was a great opportunity to promote the technology.
“We’re bringing together thought-leaders, regulators and decision-makers to better understand this,” she said. “Australia is positioning itself to adopt this technology quickly and there are huge opportunities for Australian companies and businesses.”
Ms Excell said when the technology became mainstream the economic benefits could be as much as $95 billion a year, with huge savings possible from reduced congestion and fewer road injuries.
Australia has already played host to early trials of driverless pods, with EasyMile running its 12-seater along the Darwin waterfront this year. EasyMile pods use GPS, radar, lasers and cameras to monitor their surrounds. The pods are designed for “first-mile, last-mile” journeys connecting train stations, business parks and campuses at up to 45km/h.
Asia-Pacific chief Simon Pearce said EasyMile was about to embark on a six-month roadshow and the first commercial applications were not far away. “We’re doing a project at Monash University which provides students transport from their dormitories around the campus, and also in Queensland connecting a train station, a pool, a hospital, a business district and a school,” he said.