'Mini-city' for self-driving vehicles launches in Greenbelt

A former research farm in Ottawa's Greenbelt is being turned into a hub for testing the algorithms, sensors and other technology that will allow vehicles to drive themselves.

Invest Ottawa, the city's economic development agency, launched the Ottawa L5 test track on Friday.

The trackwill provide a closed, controlled area for companies to use.The "L5"stands for "level 5," the highest level of vehicle intelligence andautomation a goalthose companies aspire to hit.

"We need an area to test our advanced software, advanced technologies, new sensors in the vehicle," said Grant Courville, vice-president at QNX, a subsidiary of Blackberry and already the anchor for Ottawa's autonomous vehicle industry in Kanata.

"So this facility here at Ottawa L5 is perfect."

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British company Aurrigo set up shop in Ottawa a year ago for reasons that includeCanada's enthusiasm for the technology, the technical expertise available in the city, and its weather.

"To make these vehicles global, they need to be tested in every environment known to man,"said Chris Keefe, Aurrigo's vice-president of autonomous programs.

"AndOttawa offers a special, unique look at weather from hot to cold, so it's really working out in terms of a one-stop shop when it comes to vehicles."

Take a ride in an autonomous car on Ottawa's new test track

5 years ago

Duration 1:32

David Van Geyn, software developer with QNX, took CBC News on a test drive around Ottawa's new track for autonomous vehicles.

Bike lanes, pedestrian crossings

Invest Ottawa already hasintersections set up ata testing area in Kanata North, but the new 16 kilometres of paved roads inthe Greenbelt will give companies a private area to further test theirtechnologies, away from thetraffic ofpublic streets.

The City of Ottawa helped set up the special street grid, which includesone-way roads, pedestrian crossings, and bike lanes so as to better mimic real-world situations.

"It's essentially a mini-city where we can test ... some of our more advanced software in that controlled environment," Courville said.

"It'sgreat to have it right in our backyard."

In the future, the large property will also include a high-speed track and an area to test drones.

Provincial MPPs also attendedFriday's test track launch, as theOntario Centres of Excellence contributed $5 million in May 2018 to the project through its Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network.

The Progressive Conservative government then gave thenetwork a further boost recently so it couldfocus on winter technologies.

The emphasis on these technology and automotivejobs contrasts with the criticism the PCs have facedfor cutting funding to Ottawa Tourism, another key industry in the city.

"We believe that this is a great investment in the auto sector and jobs of the future," said Todd Smith, Ontario's minister of economic development, job creation and trade.

"Certainly we believe in tourism, and we're funding tourism and all kinds of different ways. We're just making sure that we're far more strategic about how we're investing the people's money."

"What we're seeing today is a great deal of self-sufficiency andself-reliance," added Nepean MPPLisa MacLeod.

When will driverless cars be ready?

Despite the optimism on display Friday, QNX's Courvillesaid it may still be another 20 years before driverless cars are fully road-ready and safe for the general population on public streets.

But Aurrigo, which focuseson developing shuttles used in places like theme parks and airports, sees widespread use sooner rather than later.

"Autonomy in the next few years is not going to be that unique, strange thing," said Keefe.

The Greenbelt property across from the Nepean Sportsplex will not just become a focal point for vehicle technology, however.

TheOttawa Film Office and TriBro Studios are about to begin construction on sound stages for television production and animation nearby, while a testbed for smart farmingis also in the works.