State Cabinet met at Cohda’s head office

Historic week for South Australia starts with Cohda Cabinet meeting.

All eyes will be on Adelaide this week as a series of major events focuses the attention of the international driverless car industry on the State’s capital.

Premier Jay Weatherill said the week began with a Cabinet meeting at Adelaide’s own worldleading intelligent transport system company, Cohda Wireless, coinciding with a landmark announcement for the business.

“As a global leader in connected car technology, which enables cars to interact with one another or any type of infrastructure, Cohda Wireless is one of our State’s most impressive success stories,” Mr Weatherill said.

“It was founded in 2004 by a group of highly regarded research scientists from the University of South Australia and today Cohda’s products are used in more than 60 percent of all connected car field trials worldwide, such as General Motors.

“Today Cohda is announcing breakthrough technology which would allow driverless cars to ‘see’ the world like never before.

“The State Government is fostering companies like Cohda Wireless by creating the legislative environment to enable innovators to flourish and by helping to focus the world on the achievements of our world-leading businesses.”

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan said hundreds would gather at the Adelaide Convention Centre later this week to hear from globally renowned experts at Australia’s first ever International Driverless Car Conference.

“The week culminates with the first on-road demonstration trials of driverless cars in the Southern Hemisphere as part of the ARRB Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative,” Mr Mullighan said.

“By creating the conditions to stage these history-making trials we are putting South Australia on the map when it comes to the driverless car industry, which is expected to be worth $90 billion annually within 15 years.

“All this on the back of the landmark legislation I introduced in the South Australian Parliament to allow for trials of this burgeoning technology to be carried out on our State’s roads.

“South Australia is taking the lead nationally and internationally, our strengths in innovation and a welcoming regulatory environment combine to make South Australia an attractive destination for global firms to test, develop and trial their technology.”

Cohda Wireless Chief Executive Paul Gray said it was an exciting time for the company, which today launched its V2X-Radar.

“Unlike existing technology, the V2X-Radar is a 360-degree radar which allows cars to ‘see’ through rain, snow or fog, and even around corners,” Dr Gray said.

“This technology has the opportunity to revolutionise the industry by addressing some of the key constraints of the technology so far.

“The measures the South Australian Government is taking to turn the eyes of the world to our State can only help as we continue to grow and develop our business.”