Almost 11 months after announcing Ontario would become the first province to test automated vehicles on its roads, Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca has announced where the pilot project will take place.
The University of Waterloo, along with BlackBerry QNX and the Erwin Hymer Group in Kitchener-Waterloo, will carry out the pilot project. The vehicles will be tested in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Bob Nichols with the Ministry of Transportation, Communications Branch, says it is up to the three partners when they will actually put autonomous vehicles on the road, but conceivably they could start Monday.
The WATCar Project at the University of Waterloo will monitor a Lincoln MKZ for performance, while the Erwin Hymer Group will test a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van. BlackBerry will use a 2017 Lincoln with automated features.
It's hoped the pilot project will attract new research and development to Ontario.
Back in January, Ontario created a regulatory framework to test the new technology which uses global positioning coordinates and artificial intelligence. Under the framework, the project will run for ten years, only vehicles manufactured and equipped by the approved partners will be allowed to participate, a driver must remain in the driver's seat of the vehicle at all times during operation, and participants must have insurance of at least $5-million.
During interim evaluations, the vehicles must demonstrate the potential to deliver environmental, economic, social and safety benefits. They must show a decrease in emissions, driver error and show the potential to reduce traffic congestion.
The province remains one of the top jurisdictions in North America for vehicle production. It is also the only sub-national jurisdictions where five major global automakers are located: Fiat-Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Toyota.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers predicts by 2040, 75% of all vehicles on the road will be autonomous.
