Alberta and BC becoming connected vehicle technologies testing sites

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EDMONTON, Alta. — The federal government has committed $1.3 million to get vehicles and infrastructure communicating with each other.

ACTIVE-AURORA is a three-year research and study project being led by the University of Alberta and the University of British Columbia that will “provide the opportunity for organizations to test and evaluate new and emerging connected vehicle systems, applications and services.” These tests can include sending messages from roadside signs to vehicle information systems in trucks and cars or providing advanced warning of traffic slowdowns ahead.

It total, the project is expected to cost $3.66 million. Besides the federal government contribution, which is being delivered through the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund, funding and in-kind support totalling $2.36 million coming from the province of Alberta, the city of Edmonton, the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

ACTIVE-AURORA will run three separate test-beds—two Alberta Co-operative Transportation Infrastructure and Vehicular Environment (ACTIVE) test-beds in Edmonton and one Automotive Test-bed for Reconfigurable and Optimized Radio Access (AURORA) in Vancouver that will develop, test, demonstrate and commercialize innovations with a particular emphasis on wireless communications for freight security and efficiency. There will also be two laboratory test environments in operation.

“It is through collaborations such as this, which has all levels of government providing support and, ultimately, policy and regulation of this technology, universities bringing world-class expertise and academic rigor to explore the full potential and impact of these technologies on transportation, and private industry bringing these plans to life, that we are able to have a transformative impact on motor vehicle transportation,” said David Lynch, dean of engineering at the University of Alberta.

“This research will have lasting impacts on public safety and an economic impact in terms of enabling the timely delivery of goods on increasingly congested roads, and it will help us educate the next generation of transportation and information technology engineers.”

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  • I can’t wait until we start getting commercials from every road sign we pass projected on to the HUD of are vehicles. No distractions there.