Public trials on Cambridge’s roads lined up for autonomous bus
A purpose-built autonomous bus that will be trialled on Cambridge’s roads later this year has been unveiled.
The vehicle, a purpose-built autonomous electric bus from UK manufacturer Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc, has been delivered and will undergo track testing to ensure the vehicle’s safety and performance ahead of
the launch.
Cllr Elisa Meschini, chair of the GCP’s executive board, said: “This is a significant opportunity for Cambridge to lead the way in innovation, paving the way for more sustainable and efficient ways to get to where people need to go.
“Seeing the first vehicle arrive and be ready for testing is a testament to the collaborative efforts of everyone involved with the consortium and I look forward to seeing how this technology can potentially shape the future of public transport.”
Backed by Innovate UK, the Connector project consortium is led by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and in addition to Alexander Dennis includes Fusion Processing, IPG Automotive, dRISK and Gamma Energy. It is part-funded and supported by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.
Jamie Wilson, head of concepts and advanced engineering for Alexander Dennis, said: “The completion of the first Enviro100AEV is a great milestone for the Connector project as we now enter a phase of vehicle testing to ready the technology for public services. This builds on the substantial work we have done with Fusion Processing and other partners in similar projects to further refine this technology as we continue to explore use cases where autonomous buses can improve operational efficiency and add flexibility to transport networks.”
Consortium partners were invited by Alexander Dennis to their manufacturer’s technology hub in Farnborough for the unveiling of the project’s first Enviro100AEV. Using an innovative funding model, the Alexander Dennis Enviro100AEV buses for the Connector project will be owned by Mistral Group and leased to the GCP.
The bus will now enter a period of track-based testing to calibrate and fine-tune Fusion Processing’s CAVStar automated drive system before delivery to Cambridge.
This will be followed by testing and training for the safety drivers that will provide on-board supervision when public services commence later this year at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.