First official UK trials of driverless cars get underway 

Government ministers have witnessed the first official trials of the fully autonomous Meridian shuttle in Greenwich this morning.

Transport minister Claire Perry said: “Driverless cars are the future. I want Britain to be at the forefront of this exciting new development, to embrace a technology that could transform our roads and open up a brand new route for global investment.
“These are still early days but today is an important step. The trials present a fantastic opportunity for this country to take a lead internationally in the development of this new technology.”

Perry was joined at the Greenwich launch this morning by business secretary Vince Cable.

Cable said: “The UK is at the cutting edge of automotive technology – from the all-electric cars built in Sunderland, to the formula one expertise in the Midlands. It’s important for jobs, growth and society that we keep at the forefront of innovation, that’s why I launched a competition to research and develop driverless cars. The projects we are now funding in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry will help to ensure we are world-leaders in this field and able to benefit from what is expected to be a £900 billion industry by 2025. 

“The Government’s industrial strategy is backing the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength, we are giving business the confidence to invest over the long term and developing cutting-edge technology that will create high skilled jobs.”
The GATEway project demonstrated today will investigate new forms of automated technology in Greenwich, London. It will undertake three live trials of driverless vehicles including passenger shuttle transport and autonomous valet parking of electric cars. Led by TRL, the project is based in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London.

Other key consortium members include RSA, the global insurer, who will be looking at how automated vehicles might impact the motor insurance market, Shell and Telefonica who will be learning how the technology might impact their sectors and the University of Greenwich who will be researching how people might interact with driverless vehicles.
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