Skip to main content

First autonomous vehicle trial for New Zealand

Car maker Volvo and the New Zealand Traffic Institute (Trafinz), New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and the Ministry of Transport are to demonstrate an autonomous vehicle as part of the national Trafinz transport conference. Volvo will demonstrate the technology on a 10-15km stretch of public road in November.
September 9, 2016 Read time: 1 min

Car maker 609 Volvo and the New Zealand Traffic Institute (Trafinz), 6296 New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and the Ministry of Transport are to demonstrate an autonomous vehicle as part of the national Trafinz transport conference.

Volvo will demonstrate the technology on a 10-15km stretch of public road in November.

New Zealand Transport Minister Simon Bridges sees autonomous vehicles as a big part of the future of transport, offering potential safety, efficiency and environmental benefits.

“This is will be the first trial of its kind in New Zealand and reflects our world-leading regulation around autonomous vehicles, which encourages new technology while protecting public safety,” he says. “The Government is ensuring New Zealand stays at the forefront of transport innovation, with recent reviews of the rules relating to autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and small passenger service operators, respectively.”

Related Content

  • September 28, 2016
    Nokia to trial drone-based traffic management
    Nokia is to use Space 53, Europe's first dedicated testing facility for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at Twente Airport, near Enschede in the Netherlands to develop and trial its UAV Traffic Management (UTM) system using drones in proximity to urban areas, people, manned aircraft, other drones and other objects.
  • August 23, 2024
    AVs light up New South Wales V2I trial
    Two self-driving vehicles are linking with Scats technology in Sydney collaboration
  • May 30, 2014
    The Asia-Pacific poses a multitude of ITS challenges
    The Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand, provided a focus for the region’s ITS Associations. Mary Bell reports. In late April, ITS New Zealand hosted the 13th Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland. Around 350 delegates from 24 nations gathered to share and advance ITS applications on both strategic and technical levels and to discuss the differing and various challenges faced in the region.
  • February 19, 2015
    Report forecasts rapidly changing market for drones
    A new IDTechEx report, Electric Drones: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs 2015-2025, examines the market for drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), saying that most of the market value today lies in military applications, both for electric and - the big money - non-electric versions. Nonetheless, small UAVs are increasing in sales fastest and that is primarily down to non-military applications. From 2026, civil uses will greatly exceed military in market value. The report forecasts it all but concentrates o