AUTONOMOUS CAR PASSES THROUGH A TOLLGATE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Added: 16 July 2017

For the first time an autonomous ‘driverless’ car crossed a tollgate on the VINCI Autoroutes motorway network at Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines.

In a ground breaking test at the biggest toll station in Europe, a Citroen C4 Picasso from Groupe PSA’s autonomous vehicles fleet passed through seamlessly without any help from the driver.

Toll stations are not straightforward for the autonomous car; there are no road markings, there is limited space, there are increased hazards and there is a cross flow of randomly moving vehicles through the lanes. So this is a big leap forward in driverless car development, getting ever closer towards Level 4 (“mind off” without drivers’ supervision) thanks to a specific communication between the vehicle and the infrastructure.

Groupe PSA and VINCI Autoroutes collaborated since 2016 to make this significant development happen, both at the cutting edge of new technologies and leaders in new mobility, and this is a breakthrough.

How did they make it work? The pathway to success stems from the guidance system which is activated 500 metres ahead of the tollgate, and a Road Side Unit (RSU) positioned 300 metres before the station at the edge of the motorway. The autonomous car fitted with an electronic toll card then follows a pre-set trajectory to guide it towards a selected and equipped toll gate lane, leading the car through and exiting the tollgate until it reaches the white lines of the motorway and can once again self-steer.

There are three lanes dedicated to this purpose and the information system is modified to allow driverless cars to pass through, with real-time analysis of the availability of the lane and safe passing, with final permission to move sent via the RSU.

The roads of tomorrow may be fitted with intelligence to allow these cars to run day-to-day efficiently, and safely. Tests such as this one paint a picture of the future of driving that is full of potential. Collaborations are essential if the technology of the car is to lift off without limits, and it is exciting to see infrastructure working closely with the motor industry in such an ambitious way.

And what is next for this particular collaboration? The safe stop, to assist with car parking areas is one development, alongside other possibilities such as safe travel through real-time issues such as queues, slow traffic or accidents.  This is the future.