Bosch, VicRoads and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) have partnered with the Government of Victoria in Australia to develop a self-driving car.

Victoria Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan examined the new vehicle and met with the Melbourne-based Bosch engineers who have been working for nearly one year developing a car with self-driving capabilities.

Donnellan said: “By removing human error from the equation, self-driving vehicles will play a critical role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads.

“This self-driving car is at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and it’s been developed right here in Melbourne by local engineers.

“The Andrews Labor Government is investing in innovative technology and emerging industries that will generate local jobs for the future.”

Bosch developed the self-driving vehicle at its Australian headquarters in Clayton, Melbourne with an investment of A$1.2m ($908,706).

The vehicle has been designed to navigate on roads with or without any driver input, and features a technology that enables the car to detect and avoid hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.

Trials of these autonomous vehicles will assist in development of new regulation and infrastructure that needs to be implemented on the Victorian roads when they become commercially available in the future.

"This self-driving car is at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and it’s been developed right here in Melbourne by local engineers."

It would also help VicRoads better understand how motorists use self-driving vehicles and the changes needed to prepare for the future.

Victorian investment in the development of self-driving and highly-automated vehicle technologies is critical to the future of high technology and vehicle component manufacturing jobs in Victoria.

Both VicRoads and TAC are Victorian Government-owned organisation, where TAC has been set up to pay for treatment and benefits for people injured in transport accidents, and VicRoads plans, develops and manages the arterial road network and delivers road safety initiatives.


Image: The self-driving car in Australia. Photo: courtesy of TAC.