It is believed that they will save fuel and be much safer in the long run and that is why the province is trying to get out ahead of this wave.
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The province also pledged $500,000 to the Ontario Centres of Excellence Connected Vehicle/Automated Vehicle Program, which aims to pair academic institutions with innovative businesses with the goal of advancing transportation technology.
Several USA states permit testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads as auto makers, technology giants and parts companies test self-driving vehicles, components for them and the electronic brains and other devices needed to control them.
Del Duca said driverless vehicles will increase safety on roads by reducing the number of distracted drivers and easing congestion.
The pilot project will allow companies to do their research and development here, to help bring automated vehicles to market.
The Canadian Ministry of Transportation said that at present around 100 companies and institutions are involved in the development of connected vehicle and automated vehiclev industry in the province.
“We need to step up”, Del Duca said during a news conference held at the University of Waterloo.
It’s thought that one of the biggest challenges for self-driving cars will be teaching them to operate in the middle of a Canadian winter, when road signs could be covered in snow and there may be black ice lurking on the street.
Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca made the announcement Tuesday morning in Waterloo, citing competition with USA jurisdictions as a key reason why Ontario needs to move towards embracing the technology. “I think we have the technology to make that happen”, said Phillipe Peauregard.
Making it easier to road test those vehicles in Ontario will drive help drive innovations among driverless and automated vehicles, he said.
This week, Ontario joins a growing list of locales playing home to the first generation of autonomous cars.
It is forecasted that by 2040, 75 per cent of vehicles on roadways will be autonomous.
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This “groundbreaking” pilot puts Ontario at the forefront of innovation, said the province’s minister of economic development, employment and infrastructure, Brad Duguid, at Tuesday’s conference. “But, Ontario is one of very few jurisdictions with a world-class automotive as well as information and communication technology sectors”.
