Automated driving testing on European roads: Research project L3Pilot kicks off

Europe’s automotive industry has joined forces with research institutions and other stakeholders to test and evaluate automated in-vehicle technologies in real traffic in eleven European countries, including cross-border driving. L3Pilot, a four-year project, kicks off in Wolfsburg, Germany. Led by Volkswagen AG and co-funded by the European Commission the project partners will demonstrate their commitment to meeting the challenges of new and higher demands for mobility. Examining the technologies in testing vehicles will prepare the partners for large-scale field tests in series cars that will follow the L3Pilot project. VTT is part of the L3Pilot project.

The technologies being tested cover a wide range of driving situations, including parking, overtaking on highways, and driving through urban intersections. The functionality of the automated systems is exposed to the variable conditions of everyday traffic, with about 100 vehicles and 1,000 drivers taking their hands off the wheel so that they can perform secondary tasks.

These tests will provide valuable data for evaluating the technical aspects and overall impact on traffic and society. L3Pilot is particularly concerned with user’s perspectives on automated driving, studying user acceptance and their driving and travel behaviours. “We are certain that our systems will be successful when they meet the user needs,” says Project Coordinator Aria Etemad from Volkswagen AG. “The systems are designed for the drivers and we will consequently focus on them.”

Any driving systems being introduced to market require a set of rules for system engineering and safety validation. L3Pilot partners will define these requirements for automated systems, captured in a Code of Practice for automated driving functions.

L3Pilot will pave the way for broad automation driving tests with series vehicles in real-life traffic. This underscores the leadership of Europe’s automotive industry in developing reliable, thoroughly tested, and user-friendly technology.

L3Pilot is an Innovation Action, co-funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 programme. Thirty four organisations have committed to scientifically test and assess the impact of automated driving systems on driver comfort, safety, and traffic efficiency as part of the project.

www.l3pilot.eu
https://twitter.com/_L3Pilot_

Duration: 48 months, starting from 1 September 2017
Total cost: €68 million
EC contribution: €36 million
Coordinator: Volkswagen AG

Partners:

Automotive manufacturers: AUDI AG, BMW Group, Centro Ricerche Fiat SCPA, Daimler AG, Ford, Groupe PSA, Honda R&D Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, Opel Automobile GmbH, Renault, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen AG, Volvo Car Corporation

Suppliers: Autoliv, Delphi Deutschland GmbH, FEV GmbH

Research: German Aerospace Center DLR; ika RWTH Aachen University; Institute of Communication and Computer Systems ICCS; SAFER at Chalmers; SNF – Centre for Applied Research at NHH; The Federal Highway Research Institute BASt; TNO – Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research; University of Genoa; University of Leeds; VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland; WMG, University of Warwick; Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences WIVW

Authorities: The Netherlands Vehicle Authority RDW

User Groups: Federation Internationale de l’Automobile FIA

Insurers: AZT Automotive GmbH, Swiss Reinsurance Company

SMEs: ADAS Management Consulting, European Center for Information and Communication Technologies EICT GmbH