The UK is taking the first step towards the deployment of automated vehicles across the country. Automated vehicles are cars, vans, buses, and trucks that can drive themselves—they are also called self-driving vehicles.
If you have a self-driving car, you do not need a human driver to operate the vehicle. Ultimately, the aim is to be able to go to sleep as our car takes us from A to B. Currently, however, UK law requires a human “user in charge”. This person must be ready to take back control when requested or following an emergency.
Wayve, Nissan, and Uber have got together and are officially joining PAVE UK, which stands for Partners for Automated Vehicle Education.
The three companies, together with PAVE, are deploying the autonomous vehicles as part of a trial. They hope they can improve public engagement and understanding of the technology used in these vehicles.
PAVE UK’s mission is to inform policymakers and the general public about the reality, benefits, and limitations of self-driving technology. Wayve, a London-based AI firm, is leading the deployment of monitored self-driving vehicles across London over the coming months.
PAVE UK
PAVE has engaged with over twenty thousand members of the public through evidence-based materials, such as virtual reality (VR) goggles that give people a realistic impression of self-driving technology.
Professor Siddartha Khastgir, who serves as Director of PAVE UK and Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG, University of Warwick, commented:
“At PAVE UK, we believe the public must be at the heart of self-driving technology development. This technology will succeed and fully achieve its societal outcomes of serving the mobility needs of the cities, improving safety and accessibility, only when the public trusts and accepts it.”
“We are proud to welcome Wayve, Nissan UK and Uber as the new PAVE UK members. Through this significant partnership, we will open the floor for two-way conversations with the public, bridging the communication gap between the technology and the general public. This demonstrates our collective commitment to enabling safer, publicly endorsed self-driving technology in the UK.”
Nissan
Nissan is an important partner; trial researchers have access to the company’s UK technical centre, which has led several pioneering self-driving research projects. Examples include HumanDrive, ServCity, and evolvAD.
Uber UK
Uber is an important commercial member of the partnership; it will bridge the gap between experimental technology and the real world. According to Alex Zelubowski, Head of Autonomous Mobility Operations at Uber UK, local communities, towns, and cities must be part of the safety conversation from the very beginning.
Uber has an enormous ride-hailing network, which provides an essential commercial platform on which automated passenger fleets can grow.
Book your driverless car
Later this year, Londoners will be able to book driverless rides through their Uber apps. The vehicles will travel along all types of streets, including complex urban London thoroughfares.
The rides will form part of the London trials that will have trained onboard safety operators. Trial vehicles will use an electric Nissan LEAF platform. The software, developed by Wayve, does not rely on HD maps.
Focusing on the future
By uniting a multinational car manufacturer, the world’s largest ride-hailing network, and a cutting edge AI firm, this trial marks a major shift from theory to real-world reality. As these driverless vehicles navigate London’s streets, the UK moves one step closer to a fully automated transport future.
