Lexus Australia is the first vehicle brand to partner with the Queensland Government in a trial of advanced technologies to improve road safety and reduce congestion, fuel consumption and emissions.
Two specially equipped Lexus RX 450h F Sport SUV hybrids will be fitted with sensitive equipment allowing them to communicate with each other and with roadside infrastructure such as traffic lights, as part of a two-year trial into cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) technologies.
It will involve the two vehicles providing drivers with early warnings, including visual and audible alerts, covering a wide range of road and traffic conditions.
Warnings will include alerting drivers to road hazards or a crash ahead, as well as information that vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists are at a connected intersection.
Information will be shared between vehicles and infrastructure using dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) technology which transmits safety information using radio waves.
Lexus Australia chief executive Scott Thompson says the cutting-edge C-ITS project will generate valuable data that will eventually benefit all Australians.
“Our local engineering team, working closely with the Queensland Government, will assess the effectiveness of intelligent transport systems while expanding our understanding of driver acceptance of these technologies,” he says.
“At Lexus, helping to make roads safer and driving more efficient and enjoyable is driven by our global commitment to reduce traffic fatalities and carbon dioxide emissions to zero.”
Queensland transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey says working with Lexus Australia will provide the opportunity to demonstrate to road users the safety related benefits of cooperative and connected vehicle technologies.
“Having Lexus Australia select Queensland as a location for their first connected vehicle testing sends a strong message to the vehicle industry that Queensland values the potential safety benefits of these technologies, and is ready for their introduction,” he says.
“These vehicles, which will connect to each other and to infrastructure, will also be capable of recording data and visual information for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the trial, understanding user acceptance of the technology, and identifying problems.”
Lexus Australia will use the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot test bed and the Mount Cotton Driver Training Centre for the tests during 2019 and 2020.
