After a start marked by the pandemic, the partners held their first face-to-face work meeting at the Renault Group R&D Center in Valladolid to continue making progress in this ambitious project, which is part of the National Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience. It is financed by “Next Generation EU” funds, which aim to contribute to the development of relevant technologies for application in the automotive field, as well as enable a rapid recovery of the sector based on the strengthening of innovative capacities and to address the challenges of sustainable mobility, zero emissions and connected and autonomous vehicles.

ALSA, GMV, INDRA, MASERMIC, MAS MÓVIL, RENAULT GROUP and SIGMA are the promoters of the R3CAV project (Robust, Reliable and Resilient Connected and Automated Vehicle for people transport), which includes the development of new adaptable architecture—both in terms of hardware and software—intended to create future autonomous and connected vehicles which are capable of operating with different levels of autonomy.

The project is composed around two main use cases: the first of these is the development of an autonomous vehicle prototype in a controlled industrial environment, which will be carried out at the Renault factory in Palencia; and the second is in Alcobendas, where both connectivity systems in Renault vehicles and in highly automated vehicles for transporting people will be tested.

Specifically, the project will take on these 3 challenges:

  • The development of a new level L4 prototype: highly automated vehicles capable of operating in controlled environments and with the ability to manage complex interactions with the environment thanks to the help of an advanced infrastructure which will be a redundant source of information for the vehicle.
  • The development of a new autonomous and connected electric vehicle platform for the future application as an adaptable and modular shuttle to transport of people in urban circuits, whose level of automation will grow progressively from level L2 (advanced driving assistance systems) to an L3 (with low supervision).
  • The development of 5G communications technology for connected vehicles, such as an advanced driving assistance system. The goal of this challenge is to inform and recommend the most appropriate actions to the driver and to take control of the vehicle if necessary.

In addition, the project features the collaboration of 7 top-level research centers: 4 Universities (UPM, UC3M, UMU and UMH) and 3 Technology Centers (TECNALIA, CTAG and TEKNIKER). The Renault Group’s R&D Center in Valladolid, which has more than 1,000 engineers, is the operations center leading this project. 

GMV’s role in the project

GMV will work in three different fields, including the optimization of absolute positioning systems based on GNSS, both in autonomous systems and in cooperative services. It will also conduct research into services connected to the infrastructure, which will culminate in the development of an intelligent speed control module based on V2X and C-ITS cooperative services. It will also work on vehicle cybersecurity through the design and development of a detection system for intrusions for the protection of the vehicle based on IDPS algorithms, as well as the securitization of V2X communications.

“GMV has an engineering team specialized in automotive software that has a long history of working on solutions for autonomous and connected vehicles. The supplied software is intended to equip vehicles with essential systems so that autonomous, connected cars become a complete reality. This innovative project represents a magnificent opportunity to continue advancing in the development of these solutions and systems in collaboration with the most advanced entities in this sector, including private companies as well as public organizations and research centers,” states Sara Gutiérrez Lanza, director of the Automotive Business Unit at GMV.

for more information visit: https://www.gmv.com/