GovWire

Passengers will be boarding the worlds first fully sized, self-driving bus service in Edinburgh from the Spring, after it was awarded a share of 81 million in joint UK government and industry support for self-driving transport technology.

The project is one of seven successful projects from around the UK, and forms the most advanced set of commercial, self-driving passenger and freight operations anywhere in the world.

The grants, part of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Connected and Automated Mobility programme, will help British companies seize early opportunities to develop experimental projects into offerings ready for the market.

The joint government and industry funding winners are:

• CAVForth II Fusion Processing - 10.4 million to launch the worlds first operational, full-sized, self-driving bus service, in Edinburgh, with Stagecoach and Alexander Dennis
• V-CAL North East Automotive Alliance - 8 million to roll out self-driving and remotely piloted HGVs between the Vantec and Nissan sites in Sunderland
• Hub2Hub HVS - 13.2 million to develop a new, zero emissions, self-driving HGV with Asda
• Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle City of Sunderland Council - 6 million to build and trial a self-driving shuttle service to the University of Sunderland and the Sunderland Royal Hospital
• Project Harlander Belfast Harbour - 11 million to deploy a self-driving shuttle service around Belfast Harbour
• Multi-Area Connected Automated Mobility Conigital - 15.2 million to establish a remote driving control hub, to oversee self-driving vehicles operating in Solihull and Coventry, with the NEC and local councils.
• Project Cambridge Connector Greater Cambridge Partnership - 17.4 million to trial on-demand, self-driving taxis, to complement existing transport services in parts of Cambridge

42 million in government funding is being matched by industry.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps said:

In just a few years time, the business of self-driving vehicles could add tens of billions to our economy and create tens of thousands of jobs across the UK. This is a massive opportunity to drive forward our priority to grow the economy, which we are determined to seize.

The support we are providing today will help our transport and technology pioneers steal a march on the global competition, by turning their bright ideas into market-ready products sooner than anyone else.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

Self-driving vehicles including buses will positively transform peoples everyday lives making it easier to get around, access vital services and improve regional connectivity.

Were supporting and investing in the safe rollout of this incredible technology to help maximise its full potential, while also creating skilled jobs and boosting growth in this important sector.

Almost 600,000 is also being awarded for feasibility studies, looking into how self-driving technology could improve public transport in four parts of the UK. These projects will look into potential routes where automated vehicles could operate exclusively from other traffic, to relieve congestion on the A414 through Hertfordshire and Essex, parts of Eastern Cambridge, Birmingham and Solihull, and Milton Keynes.

Innovate UK Executive Director for Net Zero, Mike Biddle, said:

The Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) sector is of crucial importance to the UK, with the potential to deliver safer, cleaner and more efficient transport systems across a wide range of settings.

This latest, multi-year round of governments Commercialising CAM funds builds on the success of previous collaborative R&D programme, stimulating innovation to ensure the UK is at the forefront of the transition towards the commercialisation of self-driving services.

Self-driving vehicles could revolutionise public transport and passenger travel, especially for those who dont drive, better connect rural communities and reduce road collisions caused by human error. Forecasts predict that by 2035, 40% of new UK car sales will have self-driving capabilities, with a total market value for connected and automated mobility worth 41.7 billion to the UK. This could create nearly 40,000 skilled jobs in connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology.

The government is also committed to introducing legislation that will enable the safe and timely rollout of self-driving vehicles on UK roads. Under a proposed safety ambition for self-driving vehicles to be equivalent in safety to a competent and careful human driver, vehicles will need to meet certain standards to be allowed to self-drive on the roads throughout the lifetime of the vehicle.Organisations overseeing self-driving vehicles couldface sanctions if standards are not maintained.

Notes to editors

The government is awarding almost 42 million to 7 projects through the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) Commercialising Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) competition. Industry consortia will match the public grant to around 81 million and will be expected to demonstrate a sustainable commercial service by 2025.

Full details of the winning projects

CAVForth II Fusion Processing

5.2 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total 10.4 million. This project will allow Stagecoach to launch what is believed to be the worlds most complex full-sized automated bus service, running along a 14 mile route, and building on a pilot project that is nearing completion. This project will test and refine the commercial service model, from the current Captained service, with a staff member onboard, to future deployments with smaller vehicles which could operate with no staff on board.

Project partners include: Stagecoach Group, Alexander Dennis Limited, University of the West of England, and Edinburgh Napier University.

V-CAL North East Automotive Alliance

4 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total 8 million. V-CAL will scale and expand the initial, part government-funded V-CAL proof of concept, by deploying connected and automated logistics (CAL) technology at scale in two real-world, industrial settings:

• Replacing all heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on a trial route on private land with zero-emission HGVs retrofitted with CAL technology.
• A challenging public road route where the self-driving HGV will encounter traffic lights, roundabouts, security gates, bridges and other road users.

Project partners include: Vantec, Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK (NMUK), StreetDrone, Nokia, Newcastle University, ANGOKA, and Womble Bond Dickinson (UK).

Hub2Hub HVS

6.6 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total 13.2 million. This project will deliver an all-new automated HGV for the UK market. HVS innovative HGV will decarbonise one of the biggest polluting sectors on our roads, working in partnership with Fusion Processing Ltd to expediate the development of Hub-to-Hub autonomous driving technology with Fusions automated drive systems, delivering never-seen-before levels of efficiency and operational cost savings for logistics operators, as well as providing new employment opportunities.

The deployment trial of the autonomous HGV, planned for September 2024, will demonstrate this service for a leading retailer to elevate public perception, showcasing the potential autonomy can deliver thanks to increased safety and fuel savings, and develop new business models.

Project partners include: Asda Stores Limited and Fusion Processing Ltd.

Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle City of Sunderland Council

3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total 6 million. This project will research, build, trial and evaluate the deployment of a highly automated, remotely supervised, zero-emission passenger mobility service in the City of Sunderland. This will increase connectivity between a key transport interchange (bus, rail and metro) and two high-volume destinations: the University of Sunderland

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