The objective of the DRIVE C2X Integrated Project is to carry out comprehensive assessment of cooperative systems through extensive European Field Operational Tests. This general objective is split into four major technical objectives: (i) Create and harmonise a European wide testing environment for cooperative systems (ii) Coordinate the tests carried out on parallel throughout the DRIVE C2X community (iii) Evaluate cooperative systems (iv) Promote cooperative driving. The project fully responds to EC requirements and the Call contents on Field Operational Tests.

There is today a general understanding of the benefits of cooperative systems, but so far they have been tried out in small scale experiments mostly on closed test tracks. There is no proof of these benefits yet with many communicating vehicles used by ordinary people in variable conditions on roads. Furthermore, communication systems and their components are now mature enough for large-scale field operational tests.

The work proposed builds strongly on previous and on-going work on cooperative traffic systems. European wide testing community comprises of six test sites in Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. Essential activities in this project are the testing methodology and evaluation of the cooperative driving functions on users, environment and society. The contents of the functions is based on PRE-DRIVE C2X and its predecessor projects that defined the function areas and use cases subject to later testing in normal traffic in variable conditions and across Europe. In addition to impacts, other important areas of testing are technical functionality and robustness of the systems – also in harsh winter conditions. The user feedback and the results from technical tests enable the creation of realistic business models for the following market introduction.