Institute for Driverless Transport: One in three Britons see no benefit to autonomous cars
A survey of 2,050 UK adults, conducted by Opinium on behalf of the newly launched Institute for Driverless Transport, found that 33% of respondents believe driverless cars have no benefits at all, the most commonly selected single answer. However, over half of those surveyed (52%) could name at least one benefit, with fewer drunk or […]
Man makes own self-driving car with mixed results
A driver has “built” his own driverless car for less than £7000 with admittedly mixed results. Motoring journalist Mat Watson set himself a challenge of purchasing a car and retrofitting it with a Comma “full self-driving device” costing £1,000. Writing in Carwow, Watson’s budget for the drastic upgrade (including the car) matched the £6800 cost […]
Wayve in talks over $1bn investment
Wayve, the self-driving car start-up launching autonomous taxis on UK roads, are in talks to raise over $1bn in one of largest funding rounds ever for a British AI start-up Founded in Cambridge in 2017, the company is one of a group of tech businesses racing to launch self-driving taxi pilots on UK roads in the coming months. […]
DfT issues call for evidence for the development of automated vehicles regulatory framework
The Department of Transport is seeking views on several sections of the Automated Vehicles Act to support development of the regulatory framework. The framework will include rules, guidance and principles. We are also seeking to strengthen our understanding of accessibility, environmental and cost-benefit considerations. DfT is asking for views on the following aspects of the automated vehicles […]
Connected and Automated Vehicles debated in Parliament
CAVs were the subject of an animated debate in the House of Commons earlier this week, with particular emphasis on regulation, safety and public trust. Sarah Coombes, Labour MP for West Bromwich, extolled autonomous vehicles’ safety records both in the UK and the US. “Turning first to safety, in the UK, 30,000 people are killed […]
Coventry University study into how pedestrians react to automated vehicles could help make future roads safer
As self-driving cars edge closer to becoming a reality on UK roads, researchers at Coventry University say understanding how pedestrians interact with automated vehicles (AVs) is critical to preventing accidents and saving lives. With the UK government projecting that AVs could be on the roads as early as 2026 and up to 40% of new […]
Waymo, road safety and liability: Evolving legal standards for CAVs
With the news that Waymo will be bringing its autonomous ride-hailing services to London next year still fresh in minds, the legal liability questions this development will create have started being asked already. Lawyer Andrew Sanderson, a partner at Kingsley Napley LLP, says that with autonomous and connected vehicles expected on British roads by 2026, […]
Overloaded, underloaded or in control: How many automated vehicles can one person supervise?
It is possible for one person to safely monitor up to five self-driving vehicles at once, according to new research led by Coventry University. As self-driving vehicle trials expand across the UK, having trained people to intervene remotely if something goes wrong is essential for both safety and reliability. This kind of remote oversight is likely to […]
New AI system could change how autonomous vehicles navigate without GPS
An AI system capable of pinpointing a device’s location in dense urban areas without relying on GPS has been developed by researchers at the University of Surrey. Narrowing down localisation errors from 734 metres to within 22 metres, the innovation could be a significant step forward for technologies such as self-driving cars and aid delivery […]
UK transport and tech leaders urge government to set crucial deadline for AV technology
A coalition of the UK’s leading transport solution providers and data consumers has today sent an open letter to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Future of Roads), Lilian Greenwood MP, urging the government to set a firm deadline for the nationwide implementation of Digital Traffic Regulation Orders (DTROs). The group warns that the […]