Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands has invested in a £250,000 autonomous electric shuttle for passenger trials at the UK’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC).
It is being supplied by Aurrigo, which designs, develops and builds a range of autonomous vehicles at its Advanced Engineering Centre in Coventry.
Autonomous operation
Carrying up to eight passengers, the vehicle uses a suite of sensors to understand its surroundings, interacting with live traffic with little or no operator input.
The testing at the NEC, backed by funds from the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), will see the shuttle operate autonomously along a one-mile pre-mapped section of Pendigo Way between Hall 5 and Resorts World and expects to cater for more than 1,000 people during a four-week period.
Once complete, the Auto-Shuttle could then be used to support other first- and last-mile transport opportunities in and around Solihull, including possibly being used at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
“Connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we get around our towns, cities and rural areas as well as transport goods,” said councillor Ken Hawkins, environment and infrastructure portfolio, Solihull Council. “This trial is all about looking at how we can practically and safely start to incorporate autonomous vehicles into our future transport infrastructure.
“Already one of the best-connected destinations in the UK and Europe, the NEC is the perfect place to trial the Auto-Shuttle, and look at how it can be used to improve first- and last-mile passenger experience.