Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies represent the convergence of information and communication technologies (ICT) with automobiles, two of the most important technological advancements over the past century. A myriad of innovations in propulsion systems, connectivity and computation is fast paving the way for deployment of connected and autonomous self-driving cars in Canada and around the world. CAVs are poised to change the way by which people commute in urban environments, with impacts on cities, infrastructure, and our lives. They will invariably improve safety by reducing collisions, enhance transportation efficiency by mitigating the impact of traffic congestion, and benefit the environment by eliminating air pollutants. The proposed infrastructure will provide an experimentation platform enabling world-class research and technology development programs that will result in tangible technological, economic, social, health and environmental benefits to Canadians. In addition to improved safety and security, CAVs developed for extreme Canadian weather conditions will represent the first effort at achieving a technological breakthrough that has not been achieved to date. Moreover, the CAV ecosystem and market is global, and the results of the proposed research will enable Canadian companies to be more competitive on the global stage. It will enable us to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed schemes in practice to make sure that they are not only robust but also practical to implement. The platform will also provide the means for proof-of-concept demonstrations, technology transfer and commercialization. The platform will be used to train a large number of highly qualified personnel at the postgraduate and undergraduate level to serve the needs of the growing CAV industry in Canada.