Abstract
The UK 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.
Self-driving vehicles could revolutionise public transport and passenger travel, especially for those who don’t 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 seven successful projects form the most advanced set of commercial, self-driving passenger and freight operations anywhere in the world. The grants, which are part of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) programme, will help British companies seize early opportunities to develop experimental projects into scalable commercial offerings, ready for the market.
The successful projects are:
• CAVForth II – Fusion Processing - £10.4 million to launch the world’s first operational, full-sized, self-driving bus service, in Edinburgh, with Stagecoach and Alexander Dennis
• 5G CAL2 – North East Automotive Alliance - £8 million to roll out self-driving and remotely piloted HGVs on the Nissan factory site in Sunderland
• Hub to Hub – HVS - £13.2 million to develop a new, zero emissions, self-driving HGV with a leading retailer
• 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 - £16.6 million to establish a remote driving control hub, to oversee self-driving vehicles operating in Birmingham, with the NEC and local councils.
• Project Cambridge Connector – Cambridgeshire County Council - £17.4 million to trial on-demand, self-driving taxis, to complement existing transport services in parts of Cambridge
