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What we do

Experimentation

Testing on the track, in the city and in rural areas before deployment.

Two technicians in high-visibility vests in a test car, with a data screen on the dashboard
Track test of the SELFY tools at Applus+ IDIADA (Catalonia), May 2025. Photo: SELFY project / Eurecat.

What it is

Experimenting means testing a system in a real environment and measuring what happens: on a closed track, in a limited urban area or on a rural road.

Why it matters

What works in the laboratory does not always work on the street. Real tests show what is missing, also for people with disabilities.

What we do at AEVAC

Four stages of test maturity, from TRL 5 to TRL 9: testing, trials, limited deployment and in operation. The full description is just below.
Maturity stages of the tests, from lowest to highest. Source: AEVAC study "Roadmap for the standardisation and legislation of autonomous vehicles in Spain" (2021).
Text description of the maturity stages

From lowest to highest maturity ( stands for technology readiness level, a scale that goes up to 9):

  • Tests, TRL 5 to 6: in a controlled environment.
  • Trials, TRL 6 to 7: on public roads with safety drivers.
  • Limited deployment, TRL 7 to 8: tests on public roads without safety drivers, with specialised user groups.
  • In operation, TRL 9: a fully operational service on public roads without a safety driver.

Related projects

  • Proposal

    Connected Autonomous Regions

    Closed test areas in regions of Spain to study, test and validate connected autonomous vehicles.

    Different regions of Spain, in closed environments

    • Autonomous vehicle
    • Smart cities
    • Infrastructure

  • Proposal · Proposal in the pipeline

    Mobility in rural areas

    Autonomous mobility to connect older people and people with disabilities in rural areas.

    Rural areas of Spain

    • Autonomous vehicle
    • Urban pilots
  • Two technicians in high-visibility vests in a test car, with a data screen on the dashboard

    European project · Completed

    SELFY

    Tools so that connected vehicles and mobility systems can detect attacks, protect themselves and recover.

    AEVAC's role: partner

    Demonstrations on the Applus+ IDIADA track (Catalonia) and in central Vienna

    • Autonomous vehicle
    • Europe
    • Research
    • Infrastructure
  • White autonomous shuttle crossing a metal bridge between Spain and Portugal

    European project · Completed

    5G-MOBIX

    Tests of connected and over on that cross borders.

    AEVAC's role: consortium partner

    Cross-border corridor between Vigo and Porto (Spain and Portugal), plus corridors and test sites in other European countries, in China and in South Korea

    • Autonomous vehicle
    • Infrastructure
    • Europe
    • Research

To read more