Team led by TRL wins £13.4 million in Innovate UK competition for test centre in Greenwich
A consortium led by transport innovation centre TRL has been awarded £13.4 million of public money to set up a real world test environment for autonomous vehicles in London.
It has obtained the money from a competition run by Innovate UK for the distribution of part of the Government’s £51 million Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) fund.
The project will involve the creation of a Smart Mobility Living Lab (SMLL) in Greenwich and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. This will make it possible to test out driverless vehicles in a public environment.
The testbed will provide a site for the auto industry, transport services, technology providers, SMEs, research bodies and government bodies to develop solutions and share ideas.
The choice of the Greenwich site reflects the work already done in the borough to test the use of autonomous vehicles, and its working relationship with the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey.
Testing technology
Paul Zanelli, director, engineering and technology at TRL, said: “Users of the SMLL will be able to collaboratively or independently test their ideas, technology and services in a real world environment.
“This exciting project will see us working closely with industry to develop the evidence case for bringing new products and services to market, and with local and national governments to address the challenges and opportunities of future mobility. This will ensure we gain the benefits and minimise the pain of change.”
Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark expressed his support for the project, saying that the development of CAV technology is a central part of the Government’s industrial strategy.
Image from TRL
