Trusted Intelligent CAV (TIC-IT)

A new test track in the UK will let driverless cars skid, swerve, and fail at high speed—safely and repeatedly—before they ever hit a public road. Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) promise to cut emissions, reduce congestion, and prevent accidents, but their development is stalled by a critical gap: there is nowhere to test them at the limits of their handling and connectivity without endangering the public. Current test environments are either too sterile (laboratory simulations) or too risky (open roads). The Trusted Intelligent CAV (TIC-IT) facility fills that gap by providing a realistic, controlled space where high-speed, limit-handling scenarios can be created—including edge cases that would be illegal or dangerous to stage on public highways. If TIC-IT succeeds, it will accelerate the safe deployment of CAVs across the UK, making the country more attractive to automotive investment and engineering talent. The facility’s flexibility—using temporary real-world features to simulate diverse driving conditions—means it can support a wide range of use cases, from emergency braking to sensor failure. This is not fundamental science; it is an applied engineering infrastructure project. Its direct impact will be on the speed and safety of CAV commercialisation, not on theoretical understanding.