OTTAWA — A 25-kilometre test course that opened here Friday for autonomous and connected vehicles is North America's first to combine all available technologies, its backers say.
The $11-million L5 Ottawa L5 Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Test Facilities course follows public and closed roads and bristles with networking hardware, from the dedicated short range communications (DSCRC) technology that underpins systems such as Cadillac's Super Cruise to the emerging 5G or fifth generation of wireless communications.
Invest Ottawa, the capital's economic development agency, says the track received $5 million from Ontario's Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network and $6 million in "in-kind" contributions from private and public partners including Ericsson, BlackBerry QNX, Nokia and the National Capital Commission.
Automotive News Canada first reported on the test track in September 2018.
There are two road courses at the facility. One of them is private, for refining and ensuring the safety of new technology. The other is public for evaluating that technology in real-world traffic.
The City of Ottawa believes its weather is advantage when it comes to AV testing. The city receives fog, freezing rain, snow, thaws and flash freezes. There's also the summer heat and humidity.
