Public Funding for Visteon Engineering Services Limited

The UK Connected and Intelligent Transport Environment (UK CITE) creates a real-world-lab for companies to test how connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) can interact with communications infrastructure (so called V2X). The project will install the relevant infrastructure along sections of the M42, M40, A45, A46 and Coventry city centre. This test environment will be available to other vehicle manufacturers or fleet users who wish to test V2X technologies. It will act as a world class research asset to attract R&D to the UK. CAV test vehicles will examine the impact of V2X on road safety, traffic flow and the ability to provide other services like WiFi. Cyber-security will also be included from the outset. V2X will improve a vehicles journey through the road network. E.g. in case of an accident instead of an expensive gantry on the motorway a connected car could provide warnings and guidance to the driver, or an autonomous vehicle could respond automatically. The impact on the UK road network will be simulated based on these trials - enabling the UK to get the most benefits from CAV for the least infrastructure cost.

Support from the Technology Strategy Board has enabled the consortium of Visteon Engineering Services, Essex County Council and the University of Essex to develop the feasibility study for a seamless Traffic application for Smartphones. Though there are significant amounts of transport data available, there is currently no single service that provides coverage for the complete commute, from start to finish, regardless of mode of transport. The consortium’s proposal is to deliver a technically and commercially viable application that can be safely used in all modes of transport. The application will combine known and trusted data with the innovative use of filtered social network data to provide pre travel, and in travel data to consumers based on their commuting profiles. The data will enhance the information already collected by Essex County Council, to provide ‘real time’ information and verification of traffic incidents. The consortium believe that this collaboration can deliver a product that will provide economic, social and environmental benefits to Essex, with a potential to be adopted nationally as the application matures.