U.K. Project Will Ease Drivers Into Driverless Cars

U.K. Autodrive, a consortium of local authorities, technology and automotive businesses and academic institutions, is the winner of the U.K. government’s £10 million ($15.7 million) “introducing driverless cars” competition.

The aim of the project is to establish the U.K. as a global hub for the development of autonomous vehicle technologies and to integrate driverless vehicles into urban environments by testing them in two major cities.

Announcing the competition winner, Innovate UK says the program will help develop the protocols and connected infrastructure required to deliver future autonomous mobility and allow the U.K. Autodrive team to test public reaction to both driverless cars and self-driving pods.

U.K. Autodrive will produce feasibility studies as well as practical demonstrations in Milton Keynes and Coventry, where the city councils are taking the lead in developing the urban infrastructure technologies required to support driverless mobility.

The feasibility studies will consider the implications and challenges of introducing autonomous vehicles from a technical, social and economic perspective.  The studies will provide insights for vehicle manufacturers, cities, commercial operators, legislators and insurers to develop the legal framework for the rollout of autonomous mobility.

On-road testing will include real-world evaluation of passenger cars with increasing levels of autonomy, as well as development and evaluation of lightweight fully autonomous self-driving pods designed for pedestrianized spaces.

Testing will begin with single vehicles on closed roads and reach a point where all road users, as well as legislators, police and insurance companies, are confident about how driverless pods and fully and partially autonomous cars can operate safely on U.K. roads.

Innovate UK, the new name for the Technology Strategy Board, is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the U.K. government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Partners in the successful consortium are design and engineering consultants Arup, Milton Keynes Council, Coventry Council, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Tata Motors European Technical Center, RDM Group, MIRA, Thales (U.K.), Oxbotica, AXA, international law firm Wragge-Lawrence-Graham, the Transport Systems Catapult, the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and the Open University.

The money from Innovate U.K. will be matched by the 12 consortium members to create a 3-year, £19.2 million ($30.1 million) project led by Arup.

Wolfgang Eppl, director-JLR Research and Technology, promises the advanced driver assistance technologies being worked on will ensure the excitement and enjoyment of driving will not be taken away.

“While the car will be able to drive itself if the driver chooses, our aim is to assist and enhance the driver – and ultimately offer levels of autonomy to suit the driver’s mood or needs on and off-road,” he says. “Our vision is to offer a seamless choice of an engaged or autonomous drive.”