UK Central CAV Testbed (Midlands Future Mobility)

Driven by the need to reduce traffic congestion and accidents on our roads, the development and deployment of CAVs (connected and autonomous vehicles) will provide significant societal benefits, as well as business opportunities for the the automotive, comunications, infrastructure and transport sectors in the UK. Demonstrating CAVs on road, in real-world driving situations, not only helps to establish confidence in the technology, but also provides invaluable learning that can be incorporated to achieve the ultimate aim of making them, and the additional services that they could provide, a commercially viable and desirable means of road-transport. A consortium comprising of Amey, AVL, Costain, Coventry University, HORIBA MIRA, TfWM (Transport for West Midlands), WIG (Wireless Infrastructure Group) and the University of Warwick will therefore deliver a full suite of urban environments, in Coventry and Birmingham, to test CAVs and their related technologies and services, in order to accelerate their deployment in the real-world, benefitting the region and UK companies. Furthermore the testing will be supported by extensive public engagement and a database of participants who will help support the more human elements of technology and service evaluation. To attract continued R&D investment into the region and the UK, the test infrastructure will be operational after the project conclusion and will be fully self-sustaining.