This project follows on from the CAVForth project which saw Stagecoach operate a fleet of five 37 seat Alexander Dennis buses that have been fitted with the CAVStar(r) automated drive system developed by Fusion Processing Ltd.
This new project will see the route extend to Dunfermline bus station, and will also include use of a new model Alexander Dennis electric bus.
The project will commence April 3, meaning a seamless continuation of the service between Ferry Toll Park & Ride and Edinburgh Park Station, and will run to March 2025
This project will result in the development and deployment of a zero-emission hydrogen-electric autonomous HGV. This addresses two major technological trends within the automotive industry and offers significant R&D and business opportunities for the consortium members.
HVS (OEM) will produce new autonomous vehicle designs and powertrain packaging.
Fusion (Tier 1) will build on its previous autonomous bus project, converting its market-leading technology to the HGV sector.
Asda (Operator) will act as the end-user/operator of the vehicles, but will also work with the consortium to develop a new logistics and driver model based on the opportunities autonomous HGVs offer.
This project will deliver an all-new autonomous HGV for the UK market, enabling significant efficiency and operational cost savings for logistics operators. The project will facilitate the early adoption of zero-tailpipe emission vehicles in a heavily polluting sector, through increased economic attractiveness and lifecycle total cost of ownership (TCO) parity with diesel for the HGV hub to hub operation.
By including the vehicle OEM, the Tier 1 supplier and the operator/end-user, this consortium overcomes significant barriers to bringing this technology to successful deployment and has a clear route to market.
Fusion are the market-leading provider of proven AV technology for the bus sector, having successfully launched the UK's first autonomous bus on a public route in 2022\.
Working with the end user, Asda, the project will address the growing HGV driver shortage by offering better working conditions, improved skills development for remote/safety drivers, increasing recruitment among women and people with disabilities, as well as increasing operational safety.
The autonomous technology for HGV long-haul enables a new logistics model to be implemented that makes better use of the existing UK road network, optimises time-shifted delivery, addresses driver working hour limits, and enables reductions in average speeds (increasing safety, noise pollution and efficiency) all of which feed into reducing TCO for the operator and offer significant environmental benefits.
The Greater Cambridge region has achieved growth and success on an international scale, but high commuter demand has led to issues of congestion and poor air quality. The Cambridge Autonomous Vehicle strategy details opportunities to use AVs to tackle these problems.
Project Connector will undertake an at-scale trial of on-demand self-driving vehicles with up to 13 electric vehicles providing passenger services that integrate with existing transport services within Cambridge.
Services will operate on two sites where there are identified opportunities: The University of Cambridge's West Cambridge Campus and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Self-driving vehicles will leverage a 5G connected Remote Monitoring and Tele-Operation service to enable a cost-effective deployment that ensures complicated edge cases can be accommodated through temporary override of vehicle automation.
Three electric vehicle models are planned for use, the Kia EV9 and the Mellor Sigma 7 & 8. The fleet will include 2 wheelchair accessible versions ensuring an inclusive service provision. Conigital's lift-and-shift self-driving platform will be integrated with these vehicles to provide existing functionality that will be further enhanced to allow operation with remote operations support.
System validation and verification will be undertaken initially in a simulation environment using a suite of edge cases. Specific research will be undertaken in testing methodologies for L4 vehicles with no-onboard operator and system validation will be completed at the test-track.
A safety case will be prepared by an independent organisation to ensure an objective assessment is undertaken.
The 12-month trial will be undertaken in a phased manner, initially with engineers providing on-board supervision, migrating to trained operators and culminating in a final phase with only remote operators (i.e. no on-board supervision, subject to legislation).
Key to the project is engagement with transport operators: providing a self-driving service run by operators with operator staff and management, ticketing and payment mechanisms.
A key objective of the project is to assess the commercial viability and challenges in operating self-driving passenger services as a transport mode that integrates with the wider transport eco-system.
The inclusion of existing transport operators as the project operator and associated knowledge transfer will offer critical insights between all the project partners and provide an opportunity to continue service operations beyond the project on a commercial basis.
Key external stakeholders will be engaged to ensure relevant insights are shared to help define future strategy and regulation and help accelerate similar deployments elsewhere.
This project brings together a long establish UK manufacturing company, Bradshaw Electric Vehicles, with a newer UK tech company , Fusion Processing Ltd, in a collaboration that will develop a new logistics system for factories and airport locations.
This project will deliver an efficient and production-ready Fuel Cell/Battery Hybrid (FCEV) powertrain.
The consortium will undertake R&D and productization of the full vehicle powertrain, covering engineering, testing and development.
Technical challenges addressed include integrating mature electric powertrain components, largely from the UK supply chain, into a production-ready powertrain for the HGV market.
This innovative project will result in a fully functional integrated FCEV powertrain for the UK's first indigenous hydrogen-powered HGV and will contribute to the UK's ambition to decarbonise the HGV sector as described in the UK's Hydrogen Strategy.
This project will use full size, 12m, single deck buses operating at Level 4 autonomy, providing a pilot bus service, 24/7, in all weathers, using a 14mile each way route across the Forth bridges to Edinburgh.
This exciting and challenging project will provide a world leading demonstration of UK autonomous vehicle capability at a UNESCO heritage site with resultant global interest, and help UK companies introduce AV tech to
their world-wide products and services.
The project is led by UK technology company Fusion Processing Ltd and comprises leading UK organisations active in the transport sector:
Fusion Processing Ltd: Autonomous vehicle technology
Alexander Dennis: Vehicles Ltd:
Stagecoach Group plc: Bus Services
Transport Scotland: National transport agency
Napier University: Measurement of wider society viewpoint
"This project will use full size, 12m, single deck buses operating at Level 4 autonomy, providing a pilot bus service, in all weathers, using a 14 mile each way route between Fife and Edinburgh including crossing the Forth Road Bridge.
This exciting and challenging project will provide a world leading demonstration of UK autonomous vehicle capability at a UNESCO heritage site with resultant global interest, and help UK companies introduce AV tech to their world-wide products and services.
The project is led by UK technology company Fusion Processing Ltd and comprises leading UK organisations active in the transport sector:
Fusion Processing Ltd: Autonomous vehicle technology
Alexander Dennis: Vehicles Ltd:
Stagecoach Group plc - Bus Service Operator and Societal Research
Transport Scotland: National transport agency
Napier University: Measurement of wider society viewpoint
Bristol Robotics Laboratory: Vehicle simulation, validation, safety,
and compliance
The MultiCAV project provides truly multi-modal Mobility as a Service including multiple types of all electric Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: shuttles, bus, taxi and eBikes. For the first time, it extends real passenger carrying services by a range of autonomous vehicles, into mixed traffic on UK public roads. The project provides real service choices between autonomous mobility options, to assess both user behaviour and their commercial viability. Our MaaS platform integrates real-time transport data from numerous sources to provide personalised user options. By these methods we will determine an optimum CAV-based MaaS solution for a specific location in Oxfordshire.
The aim of this project is to further develop innovative technologies for connected autonomous vehicles to accelerate adoption of driverless vehicles and allied technologies in the UK. This project will introduce innovative technologies to operate connected autonomous cars in a platoon formation from Stockport directly to the arrivals terminal at Manchester Airport. Concurrently, a platoon of three pods will transit passengers to and from a car park in the airport to the passenger terminals. Project Synergy will facilitate inclusive accessible transport for the aged and the visually impaired. Innovations include: rapid battery charging using graphene supercapacitors enabling power sharing between vehicles. An Artificial Intelligence system will provide natural conversation concierge service to users. Development of control strategies and sensor technologies to facilitate platooning. Design of secure connectivity solutions for real-time communications of the platoon convoy within urban infrastructure. Deployment of resource sharing such as audio and video between the vehicles during platooning operation. This project will lead to the formation of new business models to improve mobility and the environment whilst providing economic growth through new job and business creation.
The CAPRI project will design & deliver a complete, market ready, mobility service deployable in urban scenarios using trusted secure PODs and systems supported with a 'complete package' of viable business cases, legal, regulatory, insurance recommendations to enable quick and easy deployments. A series of trial deployments demonstrate increasingly complex POD-based mobility services. Whilst addresing all CCAVs priority areas, including cyber security of vehicle and data validated real-time controld systems, our focus is on innovative business models based around POD mobility services.
INSIGHT is a collaborative project to develop existing AUTONOMOUS vehicles for safe, slow speed operation on
pedestrian areas and pavements, with CONNECTIVITY not only to control and manage the vehicles, but ALSO
for innovative data collection and presentation applications that INTERACT with users and other customers of
the systems.
Cars that drive themselves promise massive improvements in safety, much reduced congestion, and the potential to help reduce climate change emissions. The key barrier to public acceptance is lack of confidence in how they might respond to the real events that happen on real roads; cyclists, pedestrians, bad drivers. Dense cities are the most challenging scenarios. Based on deep insurance expertise and extensive social research VENTURER will quantify the response of the public (passengers, road users, pedestrians) to increasing levels of driver assistance, and in some of the most complex road & traffic scenarios. Using safe on-road trials of cars and electric passenger pods, alongside an accurate virtual simulation, VENTURER will gain a deep understanding of public attitudes and reactions to inform public policy, and signpost the way towards a safe and managed transition to driverless cars. Establishing testing grounds for autonomous vehicles and technologies in the Bristol area, VENTURER will boldly go where no car has gone before!