The new service will cover a 7km route around the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, with trials running until March next year
Visitors to the NEC will soon be able to get around the site aboard a new self-driving shuttle service. The Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project is a collaborative initiative aimed at better understanding the role self-driving vehicles might one day play within a future transport system. As part of a pilot project, SCALE will see a fleet of three electric self-driving shuttles carrying passengers along a new 7km route linking Birmingham International railway station, the NEC and Birmingham Business Park.
In 2021, Solihull became one of the first places in the country to test self-driving vehicles on its roads as part of an earlier set of passenger trials led by the borough council. Building on previous learning, SCALE aims to demonstrate and further develop understanding around connected automated mobility (CAM) services, and will look specifically at the commercial viability of self-driving operations, the passenger experience, and operational factors such as insurance and vehicle maintenance.
The electric shuttles being used for the trial have been built by New Zealand-based autonomous vehicle manufacturer Ohmio and can carry up to 20 passengers. They use a suite of cameras and sensors to monitor their surroundings, allowing them to interact with live traffic and move around safely. In line with current legislation, the shuttles will have a human operator permanently on board, who will have the ability to take control if required. Each journey will also be tracked in real time from Transport for West Midlands’ (TfWM) control centre.
The project is being delivered by a consortium led by Solihull Council, including both the University of Warwick and Coventry University, TfWM, the NEC, Coventry City Council, Direct Line Group and automated vehicle simulation specialists IPG and dRISK. Funding for the multi-million-pound project has been provided by the Department for Transport’s Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV).
Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Planning at Solihul Council Cllr Andy Mackiewicz said: “Connected Automated Mobility (CAM) technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we get around. We are excited to be leading the way, not just in Solihull, but regionally and across the country, in providing learning on CAM deployments in different settings and scenarios.
“We’ve already carried out a series of successful pathfinder trials here in Solihull, and shown how it is possible to practically and safely start incorporating self-driving vehicles into key parts of our transport infrastructure. SCALE represents the next step in this learning and will help develop our understanding around how future commercial passenger services might operate. We’ve brought together a fantastic consortium of experts for this pilot and are already benefiting from the ability to share our relevant expertise and experience in the rapidly evolving CAM sector.
“Taking place across one of the best-connected destinations in the UK and Europe, this new Solihull-based route will join up three key assets within the UK Central Hub area, operating in a busy but controlled environment and gaining further real-world operating experience.
Ohmio Global CEO Dean Zabrieszach added: “This is a really exciting opportunity for Ohmio as we grow our business in the UK and Europe. We have been involved in numerous trial deployments across the world; however, in the SCALE project, it is evident that our consortium members are eager to progress towards a full-scale transportation service. Autonomous electric shuttles like the Ohmio Lift have the capacity to fill a void in current transportation systems by providing first mile and last mile accessibility for our communities.
“We look forward to working with our partners in delivering a first-class project and look forward to continued opportunities in the UK, where the government is taking a leading role in supporting such projects, and in Europe.”
Programme Director at Zenzic, a body established by government and industry to champion UK Connected and Automated Mobility, Mark Cracknell commented: “This is a significant development for SCALE, one of the six successful projects from the CCAV Deployment competition, which form the most advanced set of commercial, self-driving passenger and freight operations anywhere in the world. With these investments, the UK is further strengthened and positioned to become one of the world’s leading destinations for the adoption of CAM technology and the delivery of improved transport services.”
On site testing is expected to start shortly, with passenger services along the first section of the route expected to go live before the of the year. The pilot project is currently scheduled to run until the end of March 2025.
