Testing and validating Connected and Automated Driving functions : VEDECOM, partner of the European project HEADSTART

H2020 European project HEADSTART (Harmonised European Solutions for Testing Automated Road Transport) was launched in January 2019. It is deployed by a consortium of 21 partners, from 9 different countries, one of which is VEDECOM Institute, under the coordination of IDIADA and Mr Álvaro Arrúe. The consortium’s vision is to define testing and validation procedures of Connected and Automated Driving functions including key technologies such as communications, cyber-security and positioning. The tests will take place in simulation and real-world fields with the aim to validate safety and security performance according to the key users’ needs.

The HEADSTART project will bring together the consortium with other European and national CAD stakeholders to cluster the most relevant existing initiatives, develop methodologies, procedures and tools and drive in a harmonized European solution for testing and validation of automated road vehicles. Within the lifetime of the project, relevant stakeholders will be able to join the experts’ network so as to configure together the methodologies used and also promote the project results’ adoption.

Within the consortium, VEDECOM is responsible for the first work package (WP1) with the objective of establishing the state of the art on testing and validation methodologies, identifying the needs of stakeholders, defining the requirements for key technologies and selecting the most relevant use cases in various traffic scenarios to be tested on proving ground or simulation for Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) certification.

VEDECOM is also contributing to WP2 to define a methodology for CAD testing and validation for the targeted use cases, taking into consideration the key technologies.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824309.