JLR's self-driving breakthrough | Car Talk - Car News Oct 2018

14:43 Friday 12 Oct 2018

A self-driving Range Rover Sport has completed a circuit of the challenging Coventry Ring Road.

The autonomous Range Rover successfully changed lanes, merged with traffic, and exited junctions at the 40mph speed limit as part of the £20 million government-funded UK Autodrive project, which is due to end this month after a three-year programme.

A team of Jaguar Land Rover engineers have honed the self-driving technology required to complete the tough real-world test on closed tracks before trialling it on public roads in Milton Keynes and Coventry. The Range Rover Sport was modified with navigation sensors, RADAR and LIDAR, enabling it to autonomously handle roundabouts, traffic lights, pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles, as well as park itself. The engineers even developed internet connectivity with infrastructure such as traffic lights in order to minimise emissions.

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.”