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

  • New York pioneers online mobile real-time bus tracking
    May 22, 2012
    An unusual technology collaboration. David Crawford investigates Early in January 2012, the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) rolled out the first borough-wide implementation of its pioneering Bus Time online mobile real-time tracking service. The system allow commuters to track each bus on every route in real-time on the internet, via smartphones and by text messaging to a mobile phone. The MTA chose Staten Island for its first live launch due to it being the only one of the five Ne
  • Australia to develop national smart managed motorways trial
    May 17, 2012
    Australia's 2011 federal government budget, announced yesterday, will provide AU$61.4 million over three years for the development of a national smart managed motorways trial to improve congestion, lower urban emissions, and expand the capacity of existing outer city road infrastructure networks.
  • Whole-life road decarbonisation studied
    August 18, 2022
    UK project funded by Department for Transport will look at all aspects of roads’ lifespans
  • EU support for Italian intermodal hub
    April 18, 2012
    A preliminary study to develop a modern intermodal hub at the Fontanarossa International Airport in Catania, Italy, will receive €1 million (US$1.44) in EU support from the 2010 TEN-T Annual Call. The study will develop plans for the optimal solution for building a single intermodal hub at the airport able to provide an effective multimodal interchange.