Advanced autonomous and connected car technologies are a part of the £20 million (INR 170 crores) UK Government backed ‘Autodrive’ initiative. This will help in improving traffic flow while congestion will be drastically reduced as will be the potential of accidents.
For this, the government has selected a range of vehicles to test their autonomous technologies. One of the cars they have selected is made in India Tata Hexa.
Tata Tiago is also part of this.There are different autonomous technologies being tested of which one that is being tested on the Tiago is called GLOSA (Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory). Tata Tiago is connected to traffic light system which is relayed to the driver to modulate car speed to cross the signal when it turns green thus creating a green corridor. Advanced Highway Assist is another such technology allowing for automatic overtaking while driving on a highway. The vehicle ahead slows down below a preset speed limit, the car’s radar system checks if side lane is empty while overtaking is automatically done without any driver intervention.
Another autonomous technology is EEBL – Emergency Electronic Brake Light. This functions through vehicle to vehicle connectivity if the car ahead is braking hard while an instant signal is sent to the vehicle behind so that the driver slows down or stops the car so as to avoid a crash. EEBL even functions if the braking vehicle is out of sight taking into consideration vehicles that are in a distance of 500 meters.
Test fleet comprises a host of cars Range Rovers, Jaguar F-Pace and Ford Mondeo besides Tata Hexa and Tiago, which has been specifically fitted with GLOSA (Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory). Trial runs began last year on closed circuit roads, now, they have begun on public roads.
“The fundamental purpose of UK Autodrive is to get connected and autonomous vehicle technology out onto UK roads, so the start of trialling on the streets of Coventry is clearly a major landmark both for the project and for the UK as a whole,” said Tim Armitage, Arup’s UK Autodrive project director.
List of connected car features being trialled within the UK Autodrive programme:
Emergency Vehicle Warning (EVW) – Sends a signal directly from the emergency vehicle (e.g. ambulance, fire engine, police vehicle) to nearby connected cars. Driver is informed that the emergency vehicle is approaching and advised to make way for it.
Intersection Collision Warning (ICW) – Warns the driver when it is unsafe to enter an intersection, due to a high probability of collision with other vehicles.
In-Vehicle Signage (IVS) – Sends information about road conditions, congestion or other incidents directly to the in-car display, rather than having to rely on expensive gantry systems.
Electronic Emergency Brake Light (EEBL) – Alerts the driver when a vehicle in front suddenly brakes, providing advanced warning, especially when the driver is unable to see the lights of the braking vehicle due to weather conditions, road layout or other vehicles in between.
Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA) – Sends traffic light information to the connected car which is able to calculate the optimal speed for approaching the lights, potentially minimising the number of red light stops, improving traffic flow and reducing emission levels from idling vehicles.
Intersection Priority Management (IPM) – Assigns priority when two or more connected vehicles come to an intersection without priority signs or traffic lights.
Collaborative Parking – Provides real-time information about free parking spaces either in the vicinity or close to the driver’s final destination.
