Queensland’s ZOE2 automated car up for awards

iMOVE’s Cooperative and Highly Automated Driving Safety Study project, with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads as project lead, and research carried out by Queensland University of Technology has been shortlisted for an award.

The project has been nominated in the Automated Vehicle Award category at the 2019 ITS Australia Awards. It’s been quite the awards week here at iMOVE, with news earlier that our Measuring demand for bus replacement services project is up for two awards.

The aims of the project are to deliver a cooperative and (highly) automated vehicle (CAV) prototype, research platform. and local expertise base, in order to conduct a comprehensive safety study to inform government policy and direction. It is intended to prepare for the arrival of CAVs with safety, mobility, and environmental benefits on Australian roads. It forms a part of Queensland’s wider Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI), taking place in and around the roads of Ipswich.

The car, dubbed ZOE2, is a Renault Zoe, modified with technology that takes the car up to a SAE Level 4 automated vehicle capability. The award submission was based on the development of the vehicle, and its first demonstration at Shailer Park in August.

‘We’re doing this testing so we will be ready when vehicles with these capabilities are widely available for Queensland road users. Preparation is key. We must ensure our road network, infrastructure, legislation, regulation and licencing processes are aligned to support to integrate automated vehicles with our transport network,’ said Mark Bailey, the Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads.

The 2019 ITS Australia National Awards will take place on 21 November.

UPDATE: 21 November 2019

The Cooperative and Highly Automated Driving Safety Study was a shared winner of the Automated Vehicle Award at the 2019 ITS Australia Awards. It shared the prize with the Busbot trial, run by iMOVE partner Transport for NSW. Congratulations to both!