Route25 Mobilizing Agenda, co-financed by the PRR, the Portuguese State, and the European Union, aims to position Portuguese companies and the country’s scientific and technological system as leaders in autonomous, intelligent, interoperable, and inclusive mobility within the European Union. This ambitious initiative, launched in 2022, is spearheaded by Capgemini and involves 27 national partners, including companies and research, development, and innovation (RD&I) entities. Its completion is expected by September 2025.
The initiative engages several government agencies, such as the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT) and the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), which are either part of the Route25 consortium or serve on its advisory committee. Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) plays a pivotal role in coordinating large-scale demonstrators and advancing the RD&I efforts laid out in Route25.
Key deliverables of the project focus on creating systems that will facilitate autonomous and connected driving, to commercialize these innovations through partner companies in the automotive and mobility sectors, particularly in international markets. A thorough validation process is embedded within the project, including extensive testing in both simulated and real environments. Ensuring adaptability across diverse use cases and maintaining safety for all stakeholders, including future users, is at the core of the technology validation process.
IT has acquired a comprehensive testing platform for autonomous and cooperative mobility research to support these objectives, based on a VW ARTEON vehicle. This platform is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors (radar, LiDAR, cameras), positioning systems, a V2X communication unit, onboard computers, and software to facilitate the creation of test scenarios for autonomous driving.
As part of the project’s development, autonomous driving demonstrators will be deployed in the municipalities of Aveiro, Ílhavo, and Porto. These will showcase complex maneuvers in urban environments as well as cooperative maneuvers between vehicles.
In late September 2023, the first autonomous driving tests took place at the IMT Exam Center in Aveiro (simulating an urban context) and on a closed section of the A32 motorway (simulating a highway context). These tests were made possible through the collaboration of IMT, Ascendi, and Autoestradas do Douro Litoral.
By providing this advanced testing platform to develop new RD&I solutions and business services, Route25 is making significant strides toward enhancing Portugal's competitiveness in autonomous, connected, and cooperative mobility. Ultimately, the project brings the country closer to its vision of more efficient, safe, and sustainable mobility solutions for the future.
In the photo, by order of appearance from left to right: Patrick Peltzer (FKA), António Leandro, Sebastian Klaudt (FKA), Felix Reimer(FKA), Mohannad Jooriah, Igor Neumaier (Capgemini), Ricardo Tiago (IMT), Joaquim Ferreira, Valter Silva, David Rocha, Bruno Ribeiro, João Oliveira e Miguel Carvalhosa.
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