Jaguar Land Rover’s self-driving cars can find spaces by themselves and park without any driver input. The self-driving valet demonstration is a step towards making self-driving cars an everyday reality, with technology that removes stress from urban driving.
It took place on open public roads in Milton Keynes as part of Jaguar Land Rover’s work with UK Autodrive, a consortium testing self-driving vehicles and connected car technologies.
Jaguar Land Rover has also developed connected technology to help speed up the integration of automated driving features. The tech allows cars to “talk” to each other and the surrounding environment, giving drivers the right information when they need it and helping the car react more quickly.
The company has tested two features in Milton Keynes: Emergency Vehicle Warning (EVW) and Electronic Emergency Brake Light (EEBL). EVW alerts drivers when an emergency vehicle is approaching and indicates which direction it is coming from. EEBL gives a warning when another connected car brakes heavily – potentially giving drivers several additional seconds to avoid a possible collision.
Jaguar Land Rover is developing fully- and semi-automated vehicle technologies to offer customers a choice of an engaged or automated drive, while maintaining an enjoyable and safe driving experience. The company’s vision is to make the self-driving car viable in the widest range of real-life, on- and off-road driving environments and weather.
Joerg Schlinkheider, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Engineer, Automated Driving, said: “We’re investing heavily in automated technologies to make our customers’ lives safer and more convenient. Reducing the everydays stresses of driving, like squeezing into a tight parking place, means that we can all focus on the more enjoyable aspects of our cars.”
