A new research facility in Warwickshire and the West Midlands will develop and test connected, driverless electric vehicle technology.
The multi-million-pound ‘Smart City Mobility Centre’ will be based at the University of Warwick.
Researchers from WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and Jaguar Land Rover will work together at the university’s Wellesbourne campus to design and engineer connected, driverless capable, prototype electric modular architectures. These will be tested in real-world conditions alongside a specially designed 5G communications network on the university’s main campus on the border of Coventry and Warwickshire.
Ultimately, the technology is expected to support smart cities and help make congestion, emissions and road traffic accidents a thing of the past.
The Smart City Mobility Centre will also draw on:
- Expertise in battery technology from the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC).
- The new £20m UK Mobility Data Institute being established by WMG in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to collect, process and analyse transport data generated by the advent of new mobility technologies such as driverless capable vehicles and smart charging of electric vehicles.
- The WMCA’s development of a multi-city 5G test bed.
According to the university, the Centre will be Europe’s most extensive integration of technology research projects at such a scale.
Professor Dr Ralf Speth, chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, said that the new facility builds on collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover, WMG, the University of Warwick and government to develop 5G connectivity in the region.
“This is critical for new mobility solutions and services that will transform customer experiences in the future and make congestion, traffic accidents and emissions a thing of the past,” he added.
Tags: connected car technology, Connected Vehicles, driverless cars, driverless vehicles, electric car
