A new European program could put convoys of autonomous cars on the road within a decade.
The European Union is launching a new project, dubbed SARTE, that will push the development of technology enabling vehicles to drive themselves in long “trains” on the highway.
Tom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator for Ricardo UK Ltd., which plans to participate in the new project, said the technology has the potential to improve traffic flow, offer greater comfort to drivers, reduce accidents, and improve fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions.
“The SARTRE project brings together a unique mix of technologies, skills and
expertise from industry and academia, with the aim of encouraging the development of safe and environmentally effective road trains,” Robinson said.
There have been a number of autonomous vehicle projects, around the world, in recent years, including one that embedded road transponders on a stretch of interstate highway near San Diego. This was used to help guide specially-equipped vehicles, including several prototype Buicks.
Breakthroughs in portable computing technology, cameras, sensors and communications technology have reduced the need to depend on fixed and costly roadway-mounted technology. The goal for SARTRE, which stands for SAfe Road TRains for the Environment, is to focus on “smart” cars that need little to no support.
“I do appreciate that many people feel this sounds like Utopia, said Erik Coelingh, technical director of Active Safety Functions at Volvo Cars. “However, this type of autonomous driving doesn’t require any hocus-pocus technology, and no investment in infrastructure. Instead, the emphasis is on development and on adapting technology that is already in existence,” Coelingh said.
But the Volvo executive cautioned that comprehensive testing will be needed, “to verify (SARTRE meets) our high demands on safety.”
The automotive industry has been working for more than a decade on the development of active safety systems that help avoid or at least mitigate accidents, such as traction control and braking assistance programs. The radar-guided cruise control system in the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, for example, will not only match and maintain the speed of traffic but bring the vehicle to a complete stop, if necessary.
But SARTRE would go the next step, enabling vehicles that could be operated without any input whatsoever from the person behind the wheel.
Known as autonomous driving, a vehicle’s onboard control system would take control of key functions, including acceleration, braking and steering. There would likely be some level of communication between individual vehicles, as well.
SARTRE intends to go beyond simply putting self-guided cars on the road. It would enable specially-equipped automobiles to travel in close convoys, or trains, where there’d be significantly smaller car-to-car gaps. That would enable far more vehicles to use existing roadways, reducing not only traffic jams but lowering the need to build more roads in traffic-snarled cities like London or Paris.
SARTE was launched last month and will run for three years. The first test cars equipped with autonomous controls will roll onto test tracks as early as 2011. Widespread use of the technology could begin within a decade, according to Ricardo, though other experts caution it could take significantly longer, in part, because so many other vehicles on the road won’t be equipped with the technology.