The first on-road trials of driverless cars in the Southern Hemisphere will take place in Adelaide's southern suburbs in November.

Volvo will conduct the testing in conjunction with Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon University, the RAA and Cohda Wireless and Bosch, which has engineers in Australia developing driverless technology.

The trials will take place on the Southern Expressway on November 7 and 8, with multiple vehicles conducting manoeuvres such as overtaking, lane changing, emergency braking and the use of on and off ramps.

For the trials, Volvo will bring the same vehicle from Sweden that is being used in their Drive Me project, a program that aims to put self-driving cars into the hands of customers by 2017.

The trials will also involve technology from Telstra and Bosch.

Independent road research agency, ARRB (Australian Road Research Board) Group, said the trials would establish how the technology would be developed for the Australian market.

ARRB group managing director Gerard Waldron said automated vehicles were far from science fiction.

"The advent of driverless cars is an opportunity to foster technological innovation and revive Australia's manufacturing industry - the South Australian Government has been quick to recognise this," Mr Waldron said.

"ARRB will establish how driverless technology needs to be manufactured and introduced for uniquely Australian driving behaviour, our climate and road conditions, including what this means for Australia's national road infrastructure, markings, surfaces and roadside signage."

The State Government has said it would pass laws to allow driverless cars on the road within a decade.

Premier Jay Weatherill said the trials will provide a real opportunity for South Australia to become a key player in the driverless vehicle industry.

"It is predicted that within just 15 years, the international driverless car industry will be worth $90 billion, so we want to encourage other global businesses to come to South Australia to develop and test their technologies," he said.

"Driverless cars have the ability to revolutionise transport in this country and we want to be at the forefront of that paradigm shift.

"It is our ambition to be a test bed for innovation across a whole range of areas such as this."

Driverless vehicles 'will undoubtedly save lives'

RAA public affairs manager Penny Gale said she was excited to see what the trials would reveal.

Sorry, this video has expired Driverless car trials are set to begin in Adelaide.

Ms Gale said driverless cars will open up opportunities for people who cannot drive a vehicle.

"Removing the need for a driver will open up a whole range of transport opportunities for many of our members, particularly people with disabilities and the elderly," Ms Gale said.

"While removing the reliance on human behaviour will undoubtedly save lives."



Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said the trials would coincide with an international conference on driverless cars, which would also be held in Adelaide.

"The conference will provide an opportunity for experts from across Australia and the world to discuss new ideas and explore possibilities for partnerships and innovation," he said.

"We know that about 90 per cent of all crashes are caused by driver error and driverless cars have the potential to see far fewer deaths and injuries on our roads in the future."

Almost all major car manufacturers are working on driverless cars including General Motors, BMW, Audi, Ford, Mercedes, Renault and tech giant Google.