Driverless shuttle tests to begin in Alberta this fall
A little driverless shuttle called Ela already in use in 20 countries will get its debut in Western Canada this fall, officials announced Wednesday.
Canada is behind other countries when it comes to testing autonomous vehicles.
But residents in Edmonton and Calgary will get the chance to try the new technology at least for four weeks.
The electric shuttle can run up to 14 hours between charges.
In Calgary, the 12-passenger driverless shuttle will run on a service road between Telus Spark and the Calgary Zoo throughout September.
The Edmonton test location, set for October, will also be separated from traffic, but is still being determined.
“We feel very, very good about the safety case,” said Pacific Western vice-president Dan Finley, speaking at an autonomous technology conference in Edmonton.
He said the shuttle, built by EasyMile, headquartered in Toulouse, France, has had zero safety incidents, despite carrying several hundred thousand people in 170 deployments.
Pacific Western is providing and operating the shuttle. It’s partnering with the universities of Calgary and Alberta to study customer behaviour.
Both city governments are also involved.
The shuttle has no steering wheel. For the pilot project, an attendant will be on hand to greet passengers. It has an emergency stop button.
It navigates by using lidar and a series of sensors to compose a 3D map and monitor the environment. It detects moving and stationary objects in its path, said Finley. “If there’s potential for impact, it stops.”
The shuttle will solve a real transportation problem for Calgary, said Andrew Sedor, adviser to Calgary ’s general manager of transportation. It will get passengers from the Calgary C-Train to the science centre one kilometre away. “If the public really loves it, we can explore operating it longer.”
It will be free for the public to ride during the pilot project.
In Edmonton, city officials have talked about autonomous vehicles being a potential solution to get transit riders from homes to transit centres. It could even operate on-demand in some low-density suburbs.
But the technology in the pilot phase and is not included in the bus redesign being rolled out in 2020.
The Edmonton test route will be fully segregated and the shuttle will never travel faster than 20 km/h, said Stephanie McCabe, branch manager for corporate strategic development. “This is an opportunity for us to understand the citizens’ perspective.”
This will be the first test of autonomous vehicle technology in Edmonton. The technology is already being used in the oilsands. Edmonton is also testing connected vehicle technology in a separate pilot project called Active Aurora.
That project involves wireless sensors installed along the Anthony Henday, 23 Avenue and Whitemud Drive to help the city monitor and adjust for traffic conditions.
The provincial government is also working on a permit system to allow automated vehicle testing on public roads. Permits would allow exemptions to provincial traffic rules on a case-by-case basis, when applicants can demonstrate appropriate insurance and safety protocols.
On Wednesday, Alberta Transportation Minister Brian Mason told conference attendees an application process for those permits should be in place “later this year.”