Tata Tiago part of autonomous vehicle testing fleet in UK

Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover and Ford have come together under a UK Government-backed initiative to develop self-driving technologies. These technologies will be tested on public roads in the UK from 2018. However, the companies have already started testing the said autonomous features on a closed test circuit. A video released by a UK-based media house shows official technicians from the three manufacturers performing initial tests on the cars. Interestingly, the test vehicle fleet seen in this video also includes a Tata Tiago.

There are three different autonomous technologies that are being put to test in the video. The one that is being tested on the Tata Tiago is called GLOSA (Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory). Through this technology, the car is connected to the traffic light system, which sends information to the car's driver that indicates if he/she needs to modulate the car's speed in order to cross the signal while it is green, thus creating a virtual green corridor.

Another technology, called Advanced Highway Assist, performs automatic overtaking manoeuvres while driving down a highway. If the vehicle moving in front slows down and drops below a pre-set speed limit, the tailing car's radar system checks whether the side lane is empty, and then performs the overtaking manoeuvre, without any driver engagement.

The third technology being put to test is EEBL, which stands for Emergency Electronic Brake Light. It works on the principle of vehicle to vehicle connectivity. Using EEBL, if the car in front is braking hard, a warning signal is sent to the trailing vehicle so that the driver can slow down or stop the car, in order to avoid a crash. This even works if the braking vehicle is out of sight of the trailing vehicle. EEBL system takes into account vehicles that are in a distance of up to 500 meters.

Source: Autocar