Demonstration Pilots will be performed using appropriate tools and different testbeds, i.e. Virtual Reality simulations, movingbase driving simulators, test-tracks and real-life environments for all modes, to assess the impact of the proposed tools and concepts to user and stakeholder acceptance.
The pilot plans cover all pilot phases (I-II-III) for each of the selected Use Cases. For the efficient management of the pilot sites and the optimal pilot execution and coordination between sites, one responsible partner has been assigned per pilot site, as well as a responsible partner per pilot type. Moreover, some activities are foreseen to coordinate the development of demonstrators for all pilots and the presentation of demos at several occasions for dissemination purposes.
The selection of Pilots is based on the principle of using a wide variety of tools in which drivers/riders/pilots, passengers and operators’ perspectives are possible to be evaluated, while ensuring that users with specific needs can be involved (i.e. elderly, people with disabilities, etc.).
Within Drive2theFuture, 12 pilots are planned, in 8 European countries, covering all modes of transport and involving all user and stakeholder categories. The pilots are organized in three phases, each with a specific target:
- Phase I: Setting the scene,
- Phase II: Iterative testing of demonstrators,
- Phase III: Training and wide-scale demonstrations
During the first year of the project, Phase I pilots have already been initiated in the respective pilot sites, while Phase II is planned for the second year and Phase III towards the end of the project for the final evaluation
Through these pilots, more than 1000 citizens and 200 stakeholders will acquire hands-on experience on AVs of all modes (as drivers or – mostly – as passengers) whereas over 20.000 will learn about them as events spectators or through e-learning modules. The pilots can be categorised according to the testing environment into: Road -RO (Simulator-based, Test track, Real road), Rail -RA, Maritime – MA (real world) and Aviation – AV (Drones, real world).
