The first technical pre-tests for the European Concordia project were successfully conducted last February in the Netherlands.

The project involves vehicle manufacturers, major telecom providers, road authorities, governments and knowledge institutes all working together to understand the practical, organisational and technical challenges related to the complexity of connected, cooperative and autonomous vehicles.

In total, five countries are participating: Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. The tests - aimed at improving traffic flow, making traffic safer and helping to make cities cleaner - took place not just on highways but within the Amsterdam urban area too.

During the three-day event, the partners verified intelligent traffic lights and both dynamic speed and dynamic lane management systems.  Later this year, Adaptive Cruise Control and lane keeping functions will be tested, as will sensors to alert vehicles to road events so they slow down far in advance. The pre-tests were important to assess vehicle-to-infrastructure communication so that the pilots can proceed smoothly.

Photo: Visit the website to see a video of the tests under way.