The Autostrade per l’Italia network is preparing to welcome autonomous driving. Innovation and technology are the pillars on which the Group’s plan for the development and management of the network is based. To achieve this objective, numerous tests have been carried out on the infrastructure, both in open traffic and in tunnels. After the first 50 km of Smart Roads went into operation on the A1 between Florence South and Florence North and in the city centre of Bologna, Aspi has continued its autonomous car projects by testing a system that will allow vehicles to communicate with the road infrastructure, maintaining the same level of automation even in the absence of satellite signals. Aspi is the first concessionaire in Italy to allow this type of vehicle to circulate, and it is supporting the Polytechnic University of Milan in this process, supported by the Technical Support Observatory for Smart Roads and Connected and Automated Vehicles of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
Two successful tests were carried out: the first in a protected environment and on a section of the motorway that is currently closed, namely the “Le Croci” tunnel, located between Calenzano and Barberino. The second involved tests on open roads, tests that began in July last year on the A26, where the autonomous car travelled 20 km. At the end of October, the experiment continued for another 30 km, again on the A26, this time also passing through the Valsesia tunnel. The tests are useful for understanding the accuracy with which the vehicle locates itself along its route, detecting, for example, vertical and horizontal signals and GNSS satellite coverage. This trial will allow Movyon, the centre of excellence in research and innovation of the Autostrade per l’Italia group and leader in Intelligent Transport Systems services, to identify the actions and technologies that can be introduced along the motorway network to increase the ability of cars to “read” the road, travelling in complete safety. In this sense, the Group, for example, is equipping some sections of motorways with technology capable of warning the vehicle in advance of the presence of “hazards”, such as construction sites or queues, before they enter its field of vision.
In the near future, the development of infrastructure will be essential to make autonomous vehicles even more efficient and perform better. This will allow us to move beyond the stage where the vehicle collects information autonomously only thanks to its sensors and will therefore allow the vehicle to process more data, even in the presence of poor visibility conditions or obstacles. For this reason, it is increasingly important to develop the network, both to allow vehicles in transit to process and analyse as much information as possible, and to make autonomous driving increasingly safe and comfortable. The road transport sector is going through a phase of transformation and innovation characterized by numerous evolving trends: vehicle electrification, new digital mobility services, connectivity and autonomous driving. The aim is to make the infrastructure increasingly safe and connected. Autostrade per l’Italia is thus continuing its journey to test and develop innovative solutions to support autonomous vehicles, with the integration of advanced technologies and the use of communication devices already installed across the network, as part of the wider “Mercury Programme”, a plan dedicated to innovation that involves all the Group’s companies.
Source: IL Tempo
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
