November’s top stories: Volvo signed deal to sell AD cars to Uber, Victoria trialled first driverless bus in Melbourne

Volvo agreed to deliver autonomous cars to Uber

Swedish company Volvo Cars entered a framework agreement to sell autonomous driving (AD) compatible base vehicles to ride-sharing company Uber between 2019 and 2021.

All the vehicles have been developed on Volvo Cars’ Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which is currently being used by automobile manufacturers worldwide.

Volvo Cars president and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson said: “The automotive industry is being disrupted by technology and Volvo Cars chooses to be an active part of that disruption.

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Victoria trialled first driverless bus in Melbourne

The Government of Victoria in Australia trialled the first driverless shuttle bus in the state known as Autonobus, which will be used for transporting students around La Trobe University in Bundoora, Melbourne.

The government invested A$375,000 ($286,125) for the new Autonobus in order to support the Smarter Journeys Programme, with VicRoads experts providing expertise in road safety and transport systems.

Victoria Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan said: “Automated vehicles will revolutionise the way we travel, that’s why we’re investing in trials that explore ways technology can be used to reduce congestion and keep people safe on our roads.”

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Jaguar, Ford and TMETC trialled autonomous vehicle technology

Automobile manufacturers Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC) started collaborative trials of connected car features in Coventry, UK.

As part of this project, the companies will focus on the benefits of ‘talk’ feature in cars that will allow cars to talk with each other, as well as their surroundings, including connected traffic lights.

The companies will also test emergency vehicle warnings and emergency braking alerts technologies during this trial.

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Perth chosen to host trial of new driverless cars

Australian city Perth was chosen as one of three cities in the world to host a trial of a new type of electric-powered autonomous vehicles called ‘Autonoms’ produced by French company NAVYA.

The trial will be run by the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC WA) in partnership with the Government of WA.

Expected to arrive in Perth in April next year, NAVYA’s vehicles will be trialled in a closed and controlled environment.

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Netflow JV won $1.3bn western roads upgrade project in Melbourne

The Netflow joint venture (JV), recently established between Ferrovial subsidiary Cintra and Plenary, secured a new contract worth A$1.8bn ($1.3bn) for the design, development and financing of works to upgrade and maintain the suburban road network in the west of Melbourne.

Cintra has been selected as the preferred respondent for the project by the Australian state of Victoria.

The Western Roads Upgrade project includes the rehabilitation and duplication of six suburban arterial roads, the development of two new interchanges, and the modernisation and maintenance of more than 700-lane-kilometres road network located in the west of the Victorian city.

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Eni and FCA agreed to cut CO2 emissions in road transport

Italian energy company Eni signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to jointly develop research projects and technological applications in a bid to reduce CO₂ emissions from road transport vehicles.

As part of the MoU, the companies will combine their expertise, experiences and technological knowledge in order to reduce the sector’s level of CO₂ emissions.

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TransCore awarded project to implement Phase III of Silicon Valley express lanes programme

TransCore was awarded a new project for the implementation of Phase III of the Silicon Valley Express Lanes Programme along US 101.

Awarded by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), the current deal is the third consecutive project received by TransCore after successfully completing the deployment of Phase I of the programme and with work on the Phase II currently underway.

Once completed, the first three phases of the Silicon Valley programme will run from Milpitas to Palo Alto.

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Upgrading of 80 bridges completed in New York, US

The state of New York in the US completed replacing 80 bridges with new structures, as part of the $542m Empire Bridge programme.

The programme, which has been administered by the New York State Department of Transportation, intends to upgrade 100 aging, vulnerable structures across the state to make them stronger to withstand extreme weather conditions.

Completion of the latest work has allowed the state to finish more than three quarters of work under the Empire Bridge programme.

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China signed agreement to construct two bridges in the Philippines

China signed an implementation agreement for the Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridges project in the Philippines.

The two bridges are being constructed as part of the Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Project and will receive financial support from China.

The two projects were approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board in September this year.

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Toyota’s CSRC planned to research on societal acceptance of connected and automated vehicle technologies

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) made plans to undertake five new research projects that will focus on how vehicle drivers use and respond to advanced vehicle technologies, including automated driver assistance systems.

The new initiative will be carried out in collaboration with US research institutions and will be part of CSRC Next, a five-year programme designed to support a safe transition to future mobility.

Institutions that will be a part of five research projects include George Mason University, Rockville Institute, University of Washington, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and San Francisco State University.