A new campus in the Shannon Free Zone is set to become the centre for technological development regarding autonomous and connected vehicles along with smart infrastructure in Ireland. In plans shown by the Shannon Chamber, the new development would operate as a working laboratory serving as a testbed for new technologies. It will be called the Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FCMI), and its partners will include Jaguar Land Rover. The company already has a thriving software development centre in the area that opened in 2018.
It will be a space for trials of autonomous parking and EV charging
The manager of Jaguar Land Rover Shannon's Vehicle as a Service (Vaas), Russell Vickers, commented: "The project aims to deliver a CAV test facility located in real-world settings, providing technology companies and researchers with an ability to test and enhance their innovations.
"The test facility at Shannon Free Zone will consist of a road network that is retrofitted with interconnected state-of-the-art sensing and telecommunication technologies. We will be installing smart and connected junctions on the zone, have a workshop and control centre, and install an autonomous parking and charging area .
"This facility will be made available to a wide range of customer sets, including national and international automotive and technology providers that are interested in testing their innovations in real-world settings before the product release phase. This investment has been identified by industry as pivotal to raising national competitiveness in transport and mobility," he added.
Helen Downes, Shannon Chamber CEO, said: "Having already been introduced to this exciting concept at a Chamber board meeting, we felt it was imperative to let a wider audience hear about the plans that are underway to build and operate the first testbed for connected and autonomous vehicles in Ireland. Shannon was the first duty-free zone in the world, so it is very fitting that it should, once again, be an area for delivering technologies for the future.
"When you consider that the world market for CAV technologies is estimated to be worth circa €70bn by 2035 and that this does not include the ancillary electric and mobility services, growth markets in their own right, Shannon is set to play a major role in the development of these sectors, most particularly as a testbed for many breakthrough technologies before they are released to the market.
"Shannon Free Zone's road system, the innovation that is already here and the great collaboration that exists between players in all sectors, position Shannon as the perfect testbed location. It's a very exciting project and one which we, as a Chamber, are delighted to be associated with."
It is now more widely believed that truly autonomous vehicles will only be able to operate safety within geofenced areas, which will add to the appeal and prospects for the FMC to thrive. Having larger multinational companies and small and medium-sized enterprises operating alongside Research Organisations and Institutes of Technology, Chambers of Commerce and other state agencies could serve this project well and encourage others to form elsewhere.