Jag to Boast an Autonomous-Driving Test Fleet of More Than 100 Cars

Autonomous driving is one of the big movements in automotive safety today, despite the recent accidents involving semi-autonomous systems. Recently, Jaguar outlined its plans to build and test a fleet of more than 100 advanced autonomous vehicles.

This system will be both connected and autonomous, helping drivers in various situations, including navigating roadwork, safely pulling away, hazards outside of the driver’s field of vision, and locating and getting out of the way of emergency vehicles.

To help drivers work their way through construction zones, this system features Roadwork Assist. This system uses a stereo camera up front to create a three-dimensional map of the zone, then it uses this map to safely navigate through cones and barriers while also centering the car in a narrow lane.

Safe Pullaway helps prevent the boneheaded mistake that we all make at least once in our lives. I am talking about putting the vehicle in the wrong gear when pulling away from a parking space or the garage. This system uses the aforementioned stereo camera to detect objects in front of the car, and also monitors the gear the vehicle is in and throttle input. Should the driver head toward a wall, a garage door, or any other object, the system applies the brakes and alerts the driver audibly.

One of the more-advanced features is the Over the Horizon Warning. This system does require other connected cars, but in theory, it will alert the driver of hazards that they may not be able to see due to a hill or a sharp bend. This system will visually and audibly alert the driver of the upcoming issue, including a poorly parked car or a stalled vehicle in the roadway.

The final system, known as Emergency Vehicle Warning, alerts the driver of an approaching emergency vehicle. Though the driver may not be able to see the approaching flashing lights, this system—given the emergency vehicle is connected too—will alert the driver that the vehicle is approaching and which direction it is coming from.

In all, this system sounds pretty good, but the issue is that many of its key features rely on other vehicles being connected and able to communicate. Without this, half of its features will be rendered useless.

We’ll bring you updates on Jaguar’s progress as they become available.