The UK's "Project Endeavour" - a platform for autonomous vehicles - is set to commence a trial run in Birmingham following the conclusion of similar tests held in Oxford.
Four Ford Mondeos equipped with LiDAR technology are set to trial various traffic and weather conditions in some of the UK's major urban areas. Photo credit: Project Endeavour via Oxbotica
This marks the first time a self-driving platform has been trialled in more than one location in the UK as the project looks to test viability in the coming weeks.
It is one of several driverless car systems in place in the UK, following the government greenlighting the use of autonomous vehicles on Britain's roads within the next few years on April 28.
Read more: UK government green lights self-driving cars
The trials will see four Ford Mondeos fitted with LiDAR technology, radar and stereo cameras alongside Oxbotica's autonomous driving technology.
These trials are set to see this technology applied in a number of city environments and conditions across the UK.
Routes include roundabouts, traffic lights and junctions, as well as casual drives around both industrial and residential areas.
Project Endeavour was founded back in 2019 as a platform for autonomous vehicles within the UK.
Project Endeavour has been trialled in Oxford and has tests run in London.
It is partially funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) as part of a wider project with Innovate UK.
The coalition is being led by self-driving software specialists Oxbotica.
“Building on our initial vehicle trial in Oxford we are now scaling to running a fleet of four vehicles, demonstrating strong progress as we move from one city to the next," the company said in a statement.
The company has already demonstrated the software's proficiency on Britain's roads, while similarly engaging with public feedback and "helping shape their views" on self-driving cars, the company claims.
"We are extremely excited to be working with the local authority to validate our deployment and engagement approach. The team has been on location for several weeks now ahead of the trial starting later in the month," it added.
The team is also working closely with Oxford City Council to address any major concerns and to refine the tools used alongside local authorities to spearhead implementation.
The trials will also give Oxbotica's software a chance to operate in numerous traffic scenarios.
Birmingham was selected by Oxbotica as the staging ground for trials with the company to evaluate the project's performance in some of the UK's heaviest urban environments.
The city contains complex and busy road networks, enabling them to validate how the tried and tested technology underpinning Oxbotica’s fleet of autonomous vehicles can rapidly adapt to a new location.
Outside of Oxford, tests had also been conducted in London, the company claims.
Dr Graeme Smith, the senior vice president at Oxbotica and one of the heads of Project Endeavour, said: “The first live on-road public trials mark a key landmark for Project Endeavour as we work with local authorities and members of the public in London, Oxford and other major UK cities to shape the future of mobility.
"Alongside our valued partners, we’re making autonomous vehicle services an everyday reality, right here in the UK.”
The company also wanted to explore different use cases and modelling scenarios and in speaking to a number of authorities across the country it soon became clear that the UK’s second-largest city would be a great candidate for the second city trial.
Local authorities are also keen to learn how self-driving cars could affect the local road ecosystem, specifically whether or not services could help in areas of low connectivity, if they will see widespread acceptance by the local public and how new services and increased connectivity could provide local economic benefits by increasing access to employment hubs and public areas as well as decreasing personal vehicle use.
The Birmingham trials are expected to commence later this month.
The project is similar to another connectivity scheme in the country, being held in Milton Keynes and powered by the UK's first major 5G network.
The "MK:5G" initiative is set to turn the Buckinghamshire town into the country's first major smart city.
Read more: UK's first standalone 5G network to power up Milton Keynes
This marks a continued trend for Milton Keynes, with it slowly becoming a technological hub within the UK.
It also sees a coalition between major local players looking to integrate with the 5G network to make the town more interconnected.
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