The revolutionary 5G Connected and Automated Logistics (CAL) project progresses with autonomous driving testing of the UK’s first automated 40 tonne truck at Vantec in Sunderland.
The £4.8m 5G CAL project is part-funded through 5G Create, an open competition combining British creativity with innovative new uses for 5G as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s £200 million 5G Testbeds and Trials programme (5GTT). Perform Green are proud to be a partner in this project, providing technical, cyber-security and project delivery assurance, and also leading on project management.
Trials are now underway on-site at Vantec in Sunderland and on Nissan’s test track with a Terberg electric (zero emissions) HGV tractor unit equipped with autonomous and teleoperation technology to prove that an autonomous HGV truck can be automated to drive between Vantec and Nissan.
The vehicle’s teleoperations system uses next-generation technology connected to a private 5G network. The state-of-the-art system allows remote teleoperations to inform a team member (driver) to switch from autonomous operation to remote driver controls to overcome any unexpected conditions such as an obstacle or unexpected object on the road.
Safety is paramount with a series of drive-by-wire components and live sensors as well as cameras (standard and LiDAR) on the vehicle’s roof. When combined with the additional LiDAR’s and camera’s installed along the route it provides the truck with an extended field of view, augmenting its ability to react appropriately to changes in the external environment.
Testing will continue for several weeks and will consist of self-driving testing on the test track at Nissan, as well as testing of the teleoperations system, before progressing to live (operational) route testing.
This pivotal project is a natural evolution of the automated logistics journey that Nissan embarked upon 15 years ago to revolutionise the auto-guided vehicles market (AGVs).
Driven by an ambition to automate deliveries between suppliers and facilities, this proof of concept encompasses all the essential elements to boost the connected autonomous mobility sector, in an inherently safe environment (on the test track). This will give rise to the first commercial opportunities and a carefully managed rollout on to public roads.
Barney Smith, Founder and CEO here at Perform Green, said: “5G technology is essential to make the 5G Connected Automated Logistics (CAL) pilot a reality. The low latency, high bandwidth and high security of the 5G network are essential components of the autonomous vehicle’s operations, enabling the fast and accurate transfer and upload of data from the truck to the remote operating system.
“The 5G CAL pilot is a very exciting opportunity to showcase the power of 5G, the underpinning small cell network and supporting smart city infrastructure which is fuelling these advancements.”
The government is pushing ahead with its plans to unlock new economic benefits and productivity boosts from 5G while commercial rollout continues at pace.
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