The Victorian Government has partnered with Bosch, the Transport Accident Commission and VicRoads to build the first vehicle developed in Australia with self-driving capabilities.
The partnership was announced this October, with Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan last week inspecting the new vehicle and meeting with the Melbourne-based Bosch engineers who have been developing the car for the past year.
The $1.2 million investment has helped Bosch develop the self-driving vehicle at its Australian headquarters in Clayton, which has been designed to navigate roads with or without driver input and includes technology to detect and avoid hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.
Trials will be used to inform the development of regulations and infrastructure to allow similar vehicles to operate on the state’s road when they become commercially available in the future.
The trial will also help VicRoads better understand how motorists use self-driving vehicles and the changes needed to prepare for the future.
“This self-driving car is at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and it’s been developed right here in Melbourne by local engineers,” said Mr. Donnellan in a statement.
“By removing human error from the equation, self-driving vehicles will play a critical role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads.”