First test of driverless car in the southern hemisphere made on Adelaide southern expressway in 2015

The southern hemisphere's first driverless vehicle trial on Adelaide's Southern Expressway in 2015.
Image courtesy ABC News

Adelaide hosted the first on-road trial in the southern hemisphere and first international conference in Australia on driverless cars in 2015. South Australia also further led the nation in embracing autonomous vehicle technology by introducing Australia's first legislation to allow for on-road trials of autonomous vehicle.

In October 2018, Adelaide’s world-leading autonomous vehicle technology company Cohda Wireless was able to test two driverless Lincoln MKZ sedans in the city’s CBD. The driverless cars were able to communicate with each other and even with traffic lights.

The South Australian government also set up a $10 million Future Mobility Lab Fund to boost the local testing, research and developing of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.

The first and fastest (30km/h) driverless vehicle to hit Australia's roads was unveiled in Adelaide in 2018 in a five-year trial to transport university students in the southern suburbs. The Flinders Express, or FLEX, will shuttle between Flinders University, a nearby train station and the Flinders Medical Centre.

 Also in 2018, the specialist Transit Australia Group (TAG) and French company EasyMile signed an intent with the state government to deliver autonomous vehicles into South Australia and Asia Pacific markets.

Transit Australia Group’s would set up a national operations control centre to manage autonomous vehicles in the Australia-New Zealand region. Its autonomous electric buses will be built in Adelaide for domestic and export markets. Partnering with the City of Playford, and using $350,000 from the government’s Future Mobility Lab Fund, EasyMile would test its autonomous vehicles on northern suburbs roads, leading to a shuttle service between Lyell McEwin Hospital, Elizabeth shopping centre, bus and train hubs.