Aurrigo, UPS and Wayve are among the organisations to have secured Government funding to help develop and deploy world-leading Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) solutions in the UK.  

Autonomous buses and shuttles, cargo dollies and container transport systems are among the projects to receive support through the CAM Pathfinder programme.

The selected CAM Pathfinder – Enhancements projects are funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), a joint unit between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Transport (DfT), delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.

These projects are part of the £150million CAM Pathfinder programme announced in the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which aims to address the complexities in commercialising CAM vehicles, to support and grow the UK’s CAM supply chain and ready the market for CAM services, enhancing both investment and export opportunities.

Each of the projects has already conducted work supported by UK Government, with this additional funding set to help the consortiums behind each project further develop and demonstrate their commerciality. 

The projects include:

• StreetCAV Plus – A public shuttle bus service in and around central Milton Keynes, led by Smart City Consultancy Ltd and supported by ECS, Cablefree, Ohmio and Milton Keynes City Council 

• SCALE 2 – A public bus service connecting Birmingham International Rail station and the NEC campus to Birmingham Business Park, led by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and supported by IPG, NEC, Coventry University, Ohmio, Coventry City Council, Transport for West Midlands, WMG and dRISK
  
• RAMP Ready – An additional auto-cargo autonomous cargo dolly and complete the development and deployment of the Auto-Shuttle 2 autonomous passenger shuttle, led by Aurrigo and UPS
  
• Connector 2 – Building on the initial Connector project to extend trials in Cambridge West and at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, together with trials on the Cambridge busways, delivered by Greater Cambridge Partnership, Fusion Processing, Alexander Dennis and dRISK
  
• AutonoBus – Assist commercialisation of Fusion AV technology supporting deployment with additional blue light and NUIC features, together with Auto Lane Keep Assist for Heavy duty applications, delivered by Fusion Processing, Alexander Dennis and Edinburgh Napier University
  
• Sim4CAMSens 2 – Validating new areas to improve sensor models which will be exploited by developing a simulation pipeline which suits sensor developers’ needs, delivered by AESIN, CP Catapult, Claytex, National Physical Laboratory, Oxford RF, rFPro, Syselek and WMG
  
• P-Cal – Proof of concept for autonomous container transport system at the Port of Tyne, supported by the North East Automotive Alliance, Oxa, Nissan, Newcastle University, ANGOKA, Vantec, BP and Womble Bond Dickinson.

• DriveSAFESim – Bringing together world-leading expertise in embodied AI and safety assurance in driving automation, to solve the critical blocker of virtual testing toolchain qualification, led by Wayve and WMG

Mark Cracknell, Programme Director at Zenzic, said: “It’s fantastic to see industry and government working together to ensure the UK is best placed to seize the CAM opportunity.

“From aviation to logistics and public transport, the programme will provide the funding and support required to help some of the nation’s brightest minds develop the technologies that will cement CAM as one of the industries of the future, creating high skilled jobs and providing a major boost to the UK economy.”

Mike Biddle, Executive Director for Net Zero at Innovate UK said: “This latest investment in the UK’s CAM sector by Government, announced in the Industrial Strategy, will enable the UK to continue at the forefront of this technology. It’s a chance to accelerate business growth, build supply chains of the future, develop new solutions and boost skills. This is a vote of confidence in the industry’s potential and Innovate UK looks forward to working with business and our partners as these technologies move ever closer to being commonplace in our everyday lives.”

For more information on Zenzic, visit: https://zenzic.io/

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