Jaguar Land Rover is partnering with global software, mobility and telecoms companies to create the Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI), a smart city hub that will enable testing of the latest vehicle technology and conduct research for autonomous, connected, electrified and shared vehicles.
According to Jaguar Land Rover, the FMCI will be a collaborative testbed spread across 12km of public roads, providing the facilities and expertise to harness sensor data, and simulate a variety of road environments and traffic scenarios to trial emerging technologies.
As part of the trials, the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE will be deployed for testing.
Located in the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area at Shannon Free Zone, Ireland, the test bed will be developed as a key part of the company’s commitment to making societies safer and healthier with pioneering technology, according to Jaguar Land Rover.
The facility will be equipped with sensors throughout the site, along with high-accuracy location systems, a data management and control centre, and self-driving prototype vehicles.
It will feature smart junctions, connected roads, autonomous parking and electric vehicle charging, as well as links to a 450km stretch of a connected highway and a managed air traffic corridor for unmanned aerial vehicles from Shannon airport along the Shannon Estuary in Ireland.
“The smart city zone provides a first-class facility for global companies to work together and develop world-leading technology, from autonomous vehicles to connected infrastructure,” says Russell Vickers, CEO of FMCI.
“The testbed provides an opportunity to test in the real world and help answer some of the questions posed by the future of mobility in a collaborative and efficient way.”
As a lead partner of the FMCI, Jaguar Land Rover says it will collaborate with other global technology companies to develop the facility, including Cisco, Seagate, Renovo, Red Hat and Mergon.
"This partnership provides us with a real-world facility to trial our emerging autonomous, connected, electrified and shared technology in a strategic location,” says John Cormican, GM for Shannon Ireland Jaguar Land Rover.
“Collaborating with top-tier software companies will allow us to develop our future systems more efficiently.”
The company says it also investing in the research and development of future technologies, to improve customer experience, increase driver safety and make autonomous driving a reality.
It has introduced a strategy for a cleaner, smarter, more integrated and collaborative mobility system – Project Vector, to help pave the way to a carbon-neutral future.
After launching the Jaguar I-PACE in 2018, the British multinational automotive company says it is preparing to introduce its next all-electric sports saloon – the new flagship of Jaguar, the XJ.
It has also announced that all new Jaguar and Land Rover models offer the option of electrification, to give customers more choice.
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