UK Government Allocates Funding for Self-Driving Vehicle Initiatives

UK Government Announces New Funding for Connected and Autonomous Mobility (CAM) Projects

The UK Government has announced new funding for several Connected and Autonomous Mobility (CAM) projects, as part of the CAM Pathfinder - Enhancements programme. The programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic, aims to develop commercial solutions in passenger and freight transport using autonomous systems.

One of the selected projects is AutonoBus, which focuses on the further development of Fusion Processing's AV platform. The platform will include features for emergency service recognition and lane-keeping for heavier vehicles.

Four other projects will deploy autonomous buses and shuttles in live operational environments. StreetCAV Plus, led by Smart City Consultancy Ltd, is a shuttle service in central Milton Keynes, working with ECS, Cablefree, Ohmio, and Milton Keynes City Council. Connector 2 extends autonomous vehicle operations to Cambridge West, the Biomedical Campus, and local guided busways, building on previous trials in Cambridge. SCALE 2 is an autonomous bus service linking Birmingham International railway station, the NEC campus, and Birmingham Business Park, led by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is backing these projects, with the funding also supporting the UK supply chain and preparing the market for the deployment of new mobility technologies.

RAMP Ready, led by Aurrigo and UPS, is a project deploying an Auto-Cargo baggage handling dolly and Auto-Shuttle 2 for passenger movement in airport settings. P-Cal is a proof-of-concept autonomous container transport system that will be tested at the Port of Tyne, with partners including the North East Automotive Alliance, Oxa, Nissan, Newcastle University, ANGOKA, Vantec, BP, and Womble Bond Dickinson.

Another project, DriveSAFESim, is focusing on the qualification of virtual testing tools for automated driving systems, led by Wayve and WMG. Sim4CAMSens 2 is a collaboration aimed at validating and improving sensor models for Connected and Autonomous Mobility through simulation tools, delivered by AESIN, CP Catapult, Claytex, National Physical Laboratory, Oxford RF, rFPro, Syselek, and WMG.

The organisations supporting projects in the CAM Pathfinder – Enhancements programme include the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), a joint unit between the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Transport, Innovate UK, and Zenzic. Key industry partners involved are International Airlines Group (IAG), Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRAINS), Urban Foresight, North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), Port of Tyne, Oxa, ANGOKA, Nissan, Newcastle University, Vantec Europe, BP, Womble Bond Dickinson, Aer Lingus, Equinix, The Civil Aviation Authority, Heathrow Airport, International Airports Group, Aurrigo plc, Fusion Processing, Highlands and Islands Airports, Menzies, Swissport, UPS, and Zenzic itself.

These projects demonstrate the UK's commitment to the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles in various sectors, from airports to ports and public transport. The funding will help address challenges in commercializing CAM services and support the UK's supply chain as it prepares for the deployment of new mobility technologies.

UK Government Allocates Funding for Self-Driving Vehicle Initiatives