Wednesday, September 13, 2017 · 607 words · 4176 characters

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 today 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.

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.

NOTE TO THE EDITOR

L3Pilot is an Innovation Action, co-funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 programme with the contract number 723051. 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.

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

[Foto: Group picture]


About Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) der RWTH Aachen University

As part of RWTH Aachen University, the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) researches the entire vehicle, including its systems and their interactions. From the initial idea through innovative component and system concepts to vehicle prototypes, the Institute's employees are shaping the vehicle of the future. The ika makes a recognized contribution to solving current and future challenges both in public projects and in cooperation with automobile manufacturers and suppliers.

The basis of our intensive research work for large parts of the automotive industry as well as public funding bodies at EU, federal and state level is our extensive infrastructure, which ranges from drive, battery, chassis and tire test benches to acoustic, thermodynamic and servo-hydraulic test facilities to a complete vehicle crash facility and test tracks including state-of-the-art measurement technology. In addition, there is up-to-date software and hardware equipment for all necessary simulation disciplines. ika employs about 120 permanent staff and more than 80 student assistants. In addition, around 100 student research and development projects are carried out on a permanent basis.


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Press contact

Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika), RWTH Aachen University
Steinbachstr. 7
52074 Aachen
Germany

Nikola Druce M.A.
Head of PR/Media
+49 241 80-25668
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Link

www.l3pilot.eu

General press contact

European Center for Information and Communication Technologies - EICT
Sarah Metzner
+49 30 3670235143
Sarah.Metzner@eict.de

Coordinator

Volkswagen Group Research
Aria Etemad
Aria.Etemad@volkswagen.de

Projectlogo

[Logo: L3Pilot]

Social Media

twitter.com/_L3Pilot_

Address

Institute for Automotive Engineering
RWTH Aachen University
Steinbachstraße 7
52074 Aachen · Germany

office@ika.rwth-aachen.de
+49 241 80 25600