Aftermarket July/August 2022 Issue

20 AFTERMARKET JULY/AUGUST 2022 TECHNICAL/AFTERMARKET OF THE FUTURE www.aftermarketonline.net Government announces £40m funding competition for self-driving projects On 23 May, a new £40m funding competition to kick-start commercial self-driving services was announced by Minister for Investment, Lord Grimstone. Run by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), the government unit tasked with shaping the safe and secure emergence of connected and self- driving vehicles, the competition aims to bring together companies and investors so that sustainable business models can be rolled out nationally and exported globally. The types of self-driving vehicles that could be deployed include delivery vans, passenger buses, shuttles and pods, as well as those for airports and shipping ports. Lord Grimstone said: “This funding will help unlock the incredible potential of this new and growing industry, building on the continued development of self-driving technology, attracting investment and helping make our transport cleaner, safer and more efficient.” The official press statement went on to trot out the now familiar lines that self-driving “could be worth £42bn to the UK economy by 2035… potentially creating 38,000 new skilled jobs”. However, deeper into the announcement came a more interesting nugget: £1.5m of the funding will be used to study using self-driving vehicles as an alternative to mass transit systems. On 20 May 2022, autonomous vehicle software specialist Oxbotica announced a landmark success: the first zero-occupancy, fully self-driving, electric vehicle on publicly accessible roads anywhere in Europe. The sensational road test, conducted in Oxford, was praised by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, Minister of State for Investment (formerly Gerry Grimstone, Chairman of Barclays Bank): “Oxbotica’s completion of Europe’s first zero- occupancy self-driving vehicle journey on the road is testament to the UK’s world class automotive sector,” he said. “This exciting development will further strengthen the UK's reputation as a leading destination to develop and deploy self-driving vehicles, as well as helping grow a sector that will support highly-skilled jobs across the country.” In a video detailing the achievement, Oxbotica founder and CTO Paul Newman explained: “Today, we ran an autonomous vehicle with no driver on open roads in the UK for the first time. It’s a great moment for this business and for the ecology of driverless vehicle technology in the UK.” The peculiar-looking all-electric AppliedEV boasts radar vision, laser-based sensors and the Oxbotica Driver System, but what is more striking is what it doesn’t have – doors, windows, seats, pedals or a steering wheel. Instead, it features an array of self-driving tech mounted on a small pylon fixed to the centre of the chassis. The Oxbotica Driver software provides the vehicle with a rich understanding of its surroundings, with multiple Artificial Intelligence (AI) continuously checking decisions. Newman continued: “Oxbotica is changing the way people and goods move. Our goal is to be indistinguishable from perfect on safety, and this achievement, alongside our partners, is proof of that. It’s a historic moment for the UK, the transport and logistics sector, and autonomous vehicle technology.” The plan is to deploy a goods delivery variant for grocery business Ocado as early as next year. Alex Harvey, Chief of Advanced Technology at Ocado Technology, said: "This is a fantastic milestone and we are delighted to see Oxbotica making significant progress towards zero- occupancy goods deliveries. We are excited about providing this transformational capability to Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) partners at the earliest possible opportunity.” The successful on-road trial, conducted in line with BSI’s PAS 1881:2020 and PAS 1883:2020 standards, also represents important progress for insurance solutions. The insurance was arranged by broker Marsh and created by Apollo Group’s Insuring Businesses Of Tomorrow, Today (ibott) initiative, in partnership with Aioi Nissay Dowa Europe. Oxbotica will now focus on accelerating the commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles globally, working with big-name partners including ZF, BP and NEVS. Minister praises Oxbotica for landmark self-driving success Neil Kennett looks at cutting-edge auto tech coming to a workshop near you soon AFTERMARKET OF THE FUTURE A commentator on the UK aftermarket since before Concorde was grounded, Neil is Editor of Carsofthefuture .co.uk , providing news and views about driverless vehicles, and Director of Communications at Self- drivingpr.com, experts in automotive/autonomous media and public relations