ITS Australia welcomes latest connected and automated vehicle trials

ITS Australia has welcomed the latest of the country’s state governments starting connected and automated vehicle (CAV) trials on public roads, as it highlights Australia’s transport technology capabilities in the development, deployment and adoption of new mobility systems.

On August 11, the Victorian government announced an automated vehicle trial had commenced on the Monash-CityLink-Tullarmarine corridor in partnership with RACV, Transurban and VicRoads. The three-phase trial will also include vehicle manufacturers BMW, Mercedes, Tesla and Volvo, with phase one due to be completed this year.

It follows the announcement earlier this month that the New South Wales (NSW) state government had introduced the first automated vehicle trial in NSW in partnership with HMI Technologies, IAG, NRMA, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and Telstra. The self-driving, fully electric passenger shuttle will be tested prior to operating on NSW’s public roads.

“Nearly every state in Australia now conducts at least one CAV initiative. We are leading the way and the international ITS community is watching closely,” said ITS Australia’s chief executive, Susan Harris. “The trials demonstrate strong collaboration between government, industry and researchers. Their learnings will be shared across the ITS community and positively influence the safety, efficiency and sustainability of Australian transport. ITS Australia continues to work with the federal and state governments to leverage off these initiatives to build public engagement, foster international exchange, and promote national harmonization of standards and regulations.”

Australia’s state CAV initiatives include:

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

• AV trial – two-year program testing driver monitoring systems and behavior;

New South Wales

• Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) – trial of heavy vehicle applications;

• Freight Signal Priority Project – to tackle congestion by reducing the number of times trucks stop at traffic lights;

• Automated vehicle ‘smart shuttle’ trial – the state’s first AV test;

Northern Territory

• Driverless shuttle – Australia’s first fully operational autonomous passenger vehicle;

Queensland

• Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) – multi initiatives including large scale pilot of C-ITS in Ipswich;

South Australia

• Rural intersection active warning system – an Australian-first safety measure to reduce speed limits at rural junctions;

• Vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) trial – an Australian-first, vehicles interact with pedestrians’ and cyclists’ cell phones;

• Driverless shuttles and pods – a project to support AVs at Adelaide Airport, Flinders University, and Tonsley Innovation Precinct;

• Driverless cars – the Southern Hemisphere’s first on-road trial of automated cars;

Victoria

• Bosch Highly Automated Driving Vehicle – Australia’s most highly automated vehicle;

• Driver assisted technology – trials of AVs on EastLink;

• CAV trial – testing CAVs on Monash-CityLink- Tullarmarine corridor;

• La Trobe University passenger bus trial – high frequency express bus service for students now fully operational;

Western Australia

• Driverless shuttle – more than 6,000 booked rides on Australia’s first AV trail;

• Autonomous heavy vehicle platooning – an Australian-first.