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Driverless vehicles: connected and autonomous technologies

How government is supporting research, development and demonstration of connected and autonomous vehicles, such as driverless cars.

• From: Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles , Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Department for Transport, Innovate UK and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
• Published: 14 August 2015
• Last updated: 11 April 2017 — See all updates

About connected and autonomous vehicles

Connected and autonomous vehicles incorporate a range of different technologies, facilitating the safe, efficient movement of people and goods.

Increased connectivity allows vehicles to communicate with their surrounding environment. This provides valuable information to the driver about road, traffic and weather conditions.

Vehicles with increasing levels of automation will use information from on-board sensors and systems to understand their global position and local environment. This enables them to operate with little or no human input (be driverless) for some, or all, of the journey.

Testing connected and autonomous vehicles in the UK

The UK is one of the best countries for car makers and others to develop and test these technologies because of our:

• permissive regulations
• thriving automotive sector
• excellent research base and innovation infrastructure

Government activity

The government supports the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles. This includes:

• announcing the 4 cities driverless car projects to take place in Bristol, Coventry, Greenwich and Milton Keynes
• publishing the Department for Transport’s (DfT) code of practice for testing driverless cars
• launching the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), formerly BIS, £20 million feasibility studies and collaborative research and development competition, the winners of which were announced in February 2016
• establishing the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) to help ensure that the UK remains a world leader in developing and testing connected and autonomous vehicles by:
  • leading innovating policy development in this sector
  • delivering a programme of research, development, demonstration, and deployment activity, worth up to £200 million, through Innovate UK
  • providing co-ordination across DfT, BEIS and the rest of government
  • being the single contact point for stakeholder engagement
• publishing a call for evidence on the UK’s testing ecosystem for connected and autonomous vehicles
• launching a consultation on advanced driver assistance systems and automated vehicle technologies
• launching the BEIS £30 million collaborative research and development and feasibility study competition

Find out more about government funded CAV research and development projects:

• GATEway
• UK Autodrive
• Venturer

Contact the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)

You can contact CCAV by emailing: [email protected].

Follow us @ccavgovuk.

Guidance and policies

• Principles of cyber security for connected and automated vehicles
  • 6 August 2017
  • Guidance
• Regulations for driverless cars
  • 11 February 2015
  • Research and analysis

Consultations

• Remote control parking and motorway assist: proposals for amending regulations and the Highway Code
  • 16 May 2018
  • Consultation outcome
• Using advanced driver assistance systems and automated vehicle technologies
  • 9 February 2017
  • Consultation outcome
• Driverless vehicle testing facilities: call for evidence
  • 30 March 2017
  • Call for evidence outcome
• Remote control parking and motorway assist: proposals for amending regulations and the Highway Code
  • 16 May 2018
  • Consultation outcome

Research

• Social and behavioural questions about automated vehicles
  • 6 January 2017
  • Research and analysis
• The potential impact of driverless vehicles
  • 6 January 2017
  • Research and analysis

Published 14 August 2015
Last updated 11 April 2017 + show all updates

1. 11 April 2017

   Added announcement of £109m funding for driverless and low carbon projects.

2. 6 January 2017

   Autonomous vehicle research.

3. 11 July 2016

   Consultation on the use of automated vehicle technologies and advanced driver assistance systems in the UK.

4. 26 May 2016

   Added call for evidence on driverless vehicle testing facilities.

5. 14 April 2016

   Added information about another research and development competition to be launched later in the year.

6. 14 August 2015

   First published.