FMCI will be a collaborative testbed. Credit: Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced that it is partnering with software, mobility and telecoms companies to develop Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI) to test self-driving vehicle technology.

Located in the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area at Shannon Free Zone, County Clare, Ireland, FMCI will be a collaborative testbed, which will feature 12km of roads combining smart junctions and connected car parks.

For this project, JLR will be collaborating with technology companies such as Cisco, Seagate, Renovo, Red Hat, Valeo and Mergon.

JLR Shannon general manager John Cormican said: “This partnership with FMCI provides us with a real-world facility to trial our emerging autonomous, connected, electrified and shared technology in a strategic location.

“Collaborating with top-tier software companies will allow us to develop our future systems more efficiently.”

The facility will be equipped with sensors, high-accuracy location systems, and a data management and control centre.

Additionally, the facility will be linked to a 450km stretch of connected highway and a managed air traffic corridor for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Shannon Airport in Ireland.

The new testbed will allow JLR to test self-driving vehicles that share the streets with cars, pedestrians and cyclists. FMCI will feature a variety of road environments and traffic scenarios.

For carrying out trials, JLR will use its all-electric Jaguar I-PACE car.

Once completed, the testbed will help JLR’s research capabilities in autonomous, connected, electrified and shared vehicles.

FMCI CEO Russell Vickers said: “The smart city zone provides a first-class facility for global companies to work together and develop world-leading technology, from autonomous vehicles to connected infrastructure.

“The testbed provides an opportunity to test in the real world and help answer some of the questions posed by the future of mobility in a collaborative and efficient way.”