The new facility will be based at the University of Warwick’s Wellesbourne campus, with driverless capable vehicle testing on the University of Warwick’s campus in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Jaguar Land Rover engineers and WMG researchers will work together at Wellesbourne to design and engineer connected, driverless capable, prototype electric modular architectures. These will be tested in real world conditions alongside a 5G communications network on the University of Warwick’s main campus.
WMG Chairman Professor Lord Bhattacharyya said: “This is the first time in any country that such a comprehensive system is being designed and tested. This will help integrate plans for transport systems for the future that have the potential to bring significant economic benefits to transform and improve the lives of a great many people who could benefit from even safer, less congested, and more environmentally sustainable transport.”
The new Smart City Mobility Centre is expected to utilise battery technology expertise from the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), which will be located in Coventry and Warwickshire, plus findings from the UK Mobility Data Institute, which is being set up to collect, process and analyse transport data generated by new mobility technologies.
Prof Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Land Rover, said: “[The centre] builds on collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover, WMG, the University of Warwick and government to develop 5G connectivity in the region - this is critical for new mobility solutions and services that will transform customer experiences in the future and make congestion, traffic accidents and emissions a thing of the past.”
“We look forward to this industry-leading project, which will develop future prototypes that put the UK at the forefront of automotive technology.”
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