PSA, AImotive Take Next Step With Level 4 Autonomous Tech Project

French automaker Groupe PSA and Budapest-based developer AImotive will launch the second phase of joint research into Level 4 autonomous-vehicle technology, this time testing capabilities at cruising speeds on French highways.

The two completed the first step in their joint research in May, using a specially equipped Citroen C4 Picasso to test the technology’s ability to operate the vehicle without driver intervention on proving grounds in Hungary.

The new test will take cars up to speeds of 81 mph (130 km/h) along 186 miles (300 km) of dedicated French highway sections prior to advancing to real-world testing in a third phase. Additionally, simulation software will be used to test thousands of potential driving scenarios on realistically modeled highways under a variety of weather, traffic and lighting conditions.

“Testing Artificial Intelligence for future Level 4 (mind off) and Level 5 (driverless) autonomous vehicles is a priority for Groupe PSA, as these techniques are promising to handle complex situations such as a human driver would do,” says Carla Gohin, senior vice president and head of Innovation at PSA. “The collaboration with AImotive gives us the opportunity to make these experimentations in real-life conditions.”