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Lexus Australia won the prestigious Asia Pacific industry hall of fame award at the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress in Los Angeles on September 21 for its commitment to advanced transport safety technology.
The ITS Asia Pacific Board of Directors selected the Lexus Australia C-ITS Research within Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot as the best in the region, ahead of strong competition from other leading ITS organisations in the Asia-Pacific zone.
(L to R) Ada Lin, Senior Intelligent Transport System Specialist, Toyota Australia; Mike Rausa, Vice President, Product and Corporate Services, Toyita Australia; Susan Harris, CEO, ITS Australia; Mario Filipovic, Manager, Intelligent Transport Systems & Advanced Vehicle Safety, Toyota Australia.
Two specially equipped Lexus RX 450h hybrid SUVs fitted with sensitive equipment communicated with each other and roadside infrastructure in the roads around the southeast Queensland city as part of a successful two-year Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) trial in conjunction with the Queensland Government’s Transport and Main Roads.
Lexus engineers worked closely with other stakeholder technology experts, monitoring the cars as roadside equipment installed at 29 intersections “talked” to the drivers. The alerts provided early warnings, including visual, audible and vibration alerts, covering a wide range of road and traffic conditions including speed limit changes, traffic signal status, road hazards and pedestrians about to cross intersections. Safety messages were also transmitted between vehicles to help prevent collisions.
Alerts were sent by radio waves using Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) technology, with a reduced version of the technology fitted to around 350 other cars owned by the general public, enabling their vehicles to communicate with infrastructure and participate in the pilot.
Lexus Australia Chief Executive John Pappas said Lexus was proud to participate in the C-ITS pilot as part of its commitment towards a zero-road toll as well as cut congestion and fuel consumption leading to lower CO2 emissions.
“Lexus globally wishes for mobility with zero fatalities and injuries from traffic accidents. To achieve this, we need advanced intelligent infrastructure safety technology, and the latest active and passive safety technology such as Lexus Safety System + 1 to help avoid collisions and protect occupants in the event of one.
“Advanced car-to-infrastructure technology will reduce human trauma while improved traffic flow will lead to reductions in fuel use and vehicle emissions, including CO2.
“We can help the environment and at the same time make driving more enjoyable for everyone.”
ITS Australia CEO Susan Harris congratulated Lexus Australia for the success of the project and its ability to collaborate with government and industry.
“The international recognition Lexus Australia has received is well-deserved; its work within the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot is world-leading,” she said.
“This project is an example of the Australian Intelligent Transport Systems industry supporting the evolution and deployment of life-saving technologies that will make our roads safer in the years to come.
“Lexus has demonstrated the tremendous outcomes that can be achieved here in Australia through effective collaborations between industry and government.”
The two-year trial saw the two RX 450h vehicles cover a total of 8,550km, sending out over 10 million messages to infrastructure and other participating vehicles.
Two million messages were received from the other 350 participating vehicles, while a further 1.2 million came from infrastructure such as traffic lights.
Following the trial, two thirds of participants believed it was important to have connected technology fitted in their next vehicle, and believed the addition of features such as advanced red light warnings and speed limit information would be beneficial to achieving better road safety outcomes.
Aside from the award-winning Queensland trail, Lexus Australia has conducted two additional C-ITS trials in Victoria, including a groundbreaking 18-month Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES) trial in Melbourne that is now reaching conclusion.
In an Australian first, the trial also utilised two specially fitted RX 450h vehicles capable of communicating with trams and emergency services vehicles to issue warnings to drivers and alerts for potential dangers, including pedestrians getting on and off trams.
ITS Australia is the peak body for advanced transport technology in Australia, having partnered with government, industry and academia over the last 30 years to help shape the future of transport.
Working on behalf of over 145 member organisations to promote the development and deployment of new safety technologies, ITS Australia is an independent non-profit organisation affiliated with peak ITS bodies around the world.
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