National Smart Vehicle Demonstration and Integration Trial

The National Smart Vehicle Demonstration and Integration Trial aims to standardize technologies so that systems from different manufacturers can work together. We will find out how transit systems can make their operations autonomous but cooperative.
We addressed the challenge of high capital costs by developing an innovative model for joint ventures involving public and private financing.
We will develop standard technology to:
- Coordinate short-range communication;
- Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-base;
- Increase cybersecurity;
- Create common, automated charging systems; and
- Develop software to manage across fleet
The driverless mini-shuttles required are automated and digitally controlled. We will also design new public-private partnerships to support advances in:
- Finance, supply, maintenance, and operation of the smart vehicles,
- Roadside infrastructure; and
- Long-term management of multi-manufacturer fleets.
Intellectual Property and Research Outcomes
We recruited six universities and colleges for our National Academic Committee for Smart Vehicles for research related to alternate transit systems, including cybersecurity, performance, design, and consumer acceptance. We expect outcomes that:
- Visualize how low-speed, electric shuttles work in public transit to provide service for travel between a person’s home and a transit hub;
- Provide effective cybersecurity across vehicles and infrastructure; and
- Design standards for harmonized charging systems and single-fleet operating systems across manufacturers;
- Assess the hackability of these vehicles to ensure they are safe for Canadians to ride on.
Project Lead: Dr. Elnaz Abotalebi ([email protected])