Self-driving Range Rover Sport completes milestone test
A Range Rover Sport has completed the first ever self-driving lap of one of the UK’s most challenging road layouts. A prototype self-driving Range Rover Sport handled the complex Coventry Ring Road. This involved changing lanes, merging with traffic and exiting junctions at the speed limit of 40mph.
The trial is part of the government-funded UK Autodrive project. The £20million programme is now at the end of its three-year life.
Jaguar Land Rover engineers have completed significant self-driving technology testing on closed tracks before heading onto public roads in Milton Keynes and Coventry.
The vehicle of choice
The Range Rover Sport was chosen as the test bed for JLR’s efforts. This was due to its performance and existing features, such as Adaptive Cruise Control.
However is has then been modified to include additional navigation sensors, RADAR and LIDAR. Coupled with the UK Autodrive research, the vehicle can now autonomously handle roundabouts, traffic lights, pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles on complicated roads. It can also park itself.
A challenging route
Mark Cund, Jaguar Land Rover Autonomous Vehicle Research Manager, said: “The Coventry Ring Road is known for its complicated slip roads and exits. It makes for very challenging conditions, especially when under pressure in the rush hour.
“Our self-driving car is not impacted by the same pressure, frustrations or fatigue that a driver may experience and so it’s capable of turning a potentially very stressful situation into a completely stress-free one.”
Innovative technology
Highly skilled Jaguar Land Rover engineers have also developed connected features as part of UK Autodrive. The safety-enhancing and emission reducing technology use the internet to connect vehicles to each other and to infrastructure such as traffic lights.
UK Autodrive has helped accelerate the development of Jaguar Land Rover’s future self-driving and connected technology.
JLR is working on fully-and semi-automated vehicle technologies to offer the choice of an engaged or automated drive. The company’s vision is to make its self-driving vehicles the most capable in the market. Whatever the terrain and weather conditions – always putting the customer in command with the option to resume control.
Head over to the respective Land Rover and Jaguar websites to look at the current model line-ups.
