Jaguar Land Rover, Tata and Ford have showcased a series of jointly developed autonomous and connected car technologies as part of a £20 million (Rs 196 crore) autodrive initiative.
The technologies, which will be trialed on public roads in Covetry and Milton Keynes, England, by the end of 2018, include a vehicle system that communicates with infrastructure features such as traffic lights to advise the driver, or the car, what speed to travel at to minimise the number of red lights the car must wait at. The system has been named Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory. Not only has it been designed to reduce waiting times, but it will also help minimise the emissions caused by engine functions associated with stopping at a red light, and maximise fuel efficiency.
Jaguar Land Rover’s technologies include semi-autonomous systems such as Advanced Highway Assist – a system that allows hands-free and pedal-free driving while the car is able to overtake vehicles safely and automatically on the motorway.
Another system showcased was Electronic Emergency Brake Light Assist, which is like an extension of autonomous emergency braking. The system warns the driver of any heavy braking performed by the car in front and can detect other cars at a distance of up to 500 metres.
JLR said its aim with autonomous systems is to implement them in both on and off-road circumstances, and its ultimate goal with autonomous technology is to “help the driver with the challenging or more tedious parts of driving whilst maintaining an enjoyable driving experience”.
To help develop its autonomous and connected technologies, JLR will launch a 100-strong fleet of test cars over the next four years. Our sister publication Autocar UK understands that these will be tested on 66km of specially selected public roads in Coventry and Milton Keynes.