Skip to main content

South Australian government announces first round of autonomous technology funding

Seven projects will share in US$4.2 million (AU$5.6 million) from the first round of funding from the South Australian government’s Future Mobility Lab Fund to drive local development of autonomous vehicle technology. Autonomous cargo pods for the Tonsley Innovation Precinct and driverless shuttles for Flinders University students are also among the projects to win funding, with other projects to be announced soon. Transfers between Adelaide Airport’s terminal and long-term car park are set to go driv
March 24, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Seven projects will share in US$4.2 million (AU$5.6 million) from the first round of funding from the South Australian government’s Future Mobility Lab Fund to drive local development of autonomous vehicle technology.

Autonomous cargo pods for the Tonsley Innovation Precinct and driverless shuttles for Flinders University students are also among the projects to win funding, with other projects to be announced soon.

Transfers between Adelaide Airport’s terminal and long-term car park are set to go driverless with the US$2.1million (AU$2.8 million) trial of a driverless shuttle. Adelaide Airport will receive US$762,000 (AU$1 million) from the fund to trial three electric driverless shuttles operating between the long-term car park and the terminal. If the trial is successful, the driverless shuttles will be become a permanent part of its operations.

International driverless car supplier RDM Group will also receive US$762,000 (AU$1 million) towards a driverless cargo pod trial, transporting goods at the city’s Tonsley precinct, with the aim of developing a market-ready autonomous delivery pod within a year. The project will involve pods similar to the Pod Zero launched in 2016, which will be modified to carry global standard air freight containers. The UK-based company opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters at the Tonsley Business Precinct in January.

Another US$762,000 (AU$1 million) will go to Flinders University, which will collaborate with the RAA on a three-year driverless shuttle project. Initially the vehicle will shuttle students around the Tonsley campus, with future plans to extend to the Bedford Park campus and local public transport hubs.

Related Content

  • UK Government fast tracks driverless cars
    July 30, 2014
    UK business secretary Vince Cable has announced two new measures today that give the green light for driverless cars to take to UK roads from January 2015. UK cities can now bid for a share of a US$16.9 million competition to host a driverless cars trial. The government is calling on cities to join together with businesses and research organisations to put forward proposals to become a test location. Up to three cities will be selected to host the trials from 2015 and each project is expected to last
  • New Zealand airport to trial autonomous shuttle
    January 27, 2017
    New Zealand’s first on-road research trial of autonomous vehicles has been launched at Christchurch Airport, with the arrival of a fully autonomous Smart Shuttle which will begin testing in the next few weeks. Christchurch International Airport has partnered with the country’s intelligent transport system (ITS) supplier, HMI Technologies for the trial, which will use a French manufactured NAVYA ARMA autonomous shuttle vehicle operating on private roads of the Christchurch International Airport campus. Th
  • Transurban announces preferred contractor for NorthConnex
    March 18, 2014
    Melbourne-based toll-road operator Transurban Group has announced that the consortium Lend Lease Bouygues is set to design and build the Sydney, Australia, NorthConnex tunnel link between the M1 and M2 motorways in the city’s northwest. The nine kilometre, 80 km/h tolled link involves two motorway tunnels, built with a three lane capacity for future growth but initially marked for two lanes each way. It provides the missing link in the National Highway Network and offers a safe and more efficient way of
  • Investments in autonomous driving are accelerating, says report
    January 7, 2015
    Google and various automakers have increased their activity and investments toward the goal of self-driving vehicles, while Google has shifted from its previous strategy to now focus on fully driverless vehicles for the future. If successful, it will have significant implications for the auto industry, according to IHS Automotive, based on findings in its new report, Autonomous Driving: Question is When, Not If, which is an update to a previous report issued early in 2014. OEMs remain geared toward aug