UK Autodrive project concludes with three days of driverless car trials

As previously reported by The Engineer, the Arup led project – which involves a diverse mix of car-makers, local councils, academic research groups and even experts from the worlds of insurance and law, was launched to prepare society for driverless cars and to position the UK as a hub of connected and autonomous vehicle expertise.

Over the course of the last three years the project partners – who include JLR, Ford, Tata, MIRA HORIBA, the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and a host of other specialists – have carried out a series of trials of increasing complexity and demonstrated a range of technologies both on the test track and on the streets of Milton Keynes and Coventry.

As well as real-world trials of driverless and connected cars – including a prototype Range Rover capable of level 4 autonomy (meaning it is theoretically able to perform all safety-critical driving functions) the project has also developed and trialled a fleet of autonomous pods designed to operate last-mile services in an urban environment.