The experimental phase for self-driving vehicles on the Autostrade per l’Italia network continues, this time on a stretch open to traffic.
Autonomous driving vehicles for the first time in Italy on a stretch of motorway
The first dealership in Italy to allow the circulation of this type of vehicle, according to Ministerial Decree 70 “smart roads”, Aspi supports in this process the Polytechnic of Milan, a university which has recently obtained authorization for this type of test, supported byTechnical Support Observatory for Smart Roads and Connected and Automatically Driven Vehicles of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
The first tests of self-driving vehicles
The first road tests started in July A26 where the self-driving car traveled 20 km, in a stretch where there were no tunnels. At the end of October the experimentation continued for another 30 km, again on the A26, this time also passing through the Valsesia tunnel (Piedmont). These tests were carried out in maximum safety, according to the provisions of the legislation.
These tests are useful for understanding how precisely the vehicle locates itself along its route, detecting, for example, vertical and horizontal signs and GNSS satellite coverage. The experimentation will allow Motioncenter of excellence for research and innovation of the Autostrade per l’Italia Group and leader in Intelligent Transport Systems services, to identify the actions and technologies that can be introduced along the motorway network, to increase the ability of cars to ” read” the road, traveling in total safety.
From this perspective, the Group is, for example, equipping some motorway sections with technology capable of warn the vehicle in advance of the presence of “dangers”such as construction sites or queues, before they enter your field of vision.
The Movyon program
Motion plans to carry out further open traffic tests in the Valsesia gallery in early 2024, to verify the reliability of the precision positioning of the car enabled by antennas distributed in the tunnel. In fact, in recent months the Company has started testing a system that allows the vehicle to communicate with the infrastructure, in order to maintain the same level of autonomous driving, even in the absence of a satellite signal (as in the case of a tunnel ).
The program Mercury
The Autostrade per l’Italia Group thus continues its path to experiment and develop innovative solutions to support self-driving vehicles, with the integration of advanced technologies and the use of communication devices already installed along the network. in the broader context “Mercury Program”a plan dedicated to innovation and which involves all the companies of the Aspi Group.
