An Opportunity to Drive the Sentience Intelligent Advanced Hybrid Vehicle at TRL, 3 March 2009

AUTO CENTRAL – February 4, 2009: The Sentience project is inviting members of the media to drive its highly innovative vehicle that demonstrates how future intelligent transport technologies can be used to significantly improve fuel consumption and reduce vehicle emissions. Those attending will be able to test the benefits of the Sentience system in driving conditions representative of public roads. A team of experts will be available to explain the development of Sentience and its underlying technologies, and discuss the implications of the results of the project for the future of road transport

Sentience is based on enabling the vehicle to ‘see’ beyond its natural horizon through the use of internet-enabled mobile phone communications, GPS, advanced mapping and other sophisticated real-time navigational technologies. This information is used to improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle, reduce exhaust emissions and substantially increase fuel economy and CO2 performance. Based on route information – which could in a production setting be integrated with a commercial navigation system – the Sentience vehicle will calculate and follow an optimal route and driving strategy for its adaptive cruise control system. Sentience technology is designed to be applied to a vehicle at little extra cost – almost all the necessary on-board sub-systems are already fitted to high-end vehicles and increasingly, in the future, likely to be included as standard across the product ranges.

Developed through a collaboration between Ricardo, Jaguar-Land Rover, TRL (Transport Research Laboratory), Ordnance Survey and Orange Business Services, the Sentience project vehicle – based on a Ford Escape Hybrid – has so far shown fuel savings of between 5 and 24%, depending on traffic conditions and the nature of the road it is travelling on. The research work was part-funded by innovITS, the UK centre of excellence for intelligent transport systems and sustainable mobility.

With a view to reducing journey times, smoothing progress and maximizing fuel economy, the Sentience control system adjusts vehicle speed, acceleration and deceleration via its adaptive cruise control. Using GPS and mapping data, it takes into account the speed limits, traffic conditions, the road’s gradient and features including bends and even speed bumps, as well as less predictable road features including roundabouts and traffic lights. At any time, of course, the system can be manually over-ridden by the driver.

The data provided by the mapping and navigational systems is also used to optimize the recharging strategy of the hybrid’s batteries, thus increasing the potential availability of electric-only mode in urban environments.

Ricardo UK’s senior manager of control and electronics and project director of Sentience, Tom Robinson, says: “A system which looks at the way vehicles are engineered and routed, as well as how our roads are monitored and managed, offers a realistic long-term pathway to help alleviate the UK’s fuel emissions and reduce congestion. Sentience brings together the best of breed in automotive knowledge with advanced tracking and mapping technology.”