London Tests Fully Autonomous, Electric-Powered Pod Transit
Burney Simpson
London this summer will test electric-powered, fully autonomous pod vehicles as part of its public transit system.
Seven pods will operate in the city’s Greenwich section that includes a mix of business and residential areas along with a subway station, according to the BBC.
The pods will carry up to six passengers, along with a ‘steward’ who can push an emergency button as necessary.
The $11.4 million three-month test is part of the GATEway Project, for Greenwich Automated Transport Environment, and is using British engineering and software. The test “will investigate public perception, reaction and engagement with the … automated vehicles,” according to a release.
Three firms are leading the Greenwich pod project — Westfield Sportscars, Heathrow Enterprises, and Oxbotica, a spinoff from Oxford University’s Mobile Robotics Group.
The pods will also be tested in Bristol, Coventry, and Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom.
The tests will determine “how the public and industry will adapt to the use of automated vehicles in the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab test environment in Greenwich,” said Nick Reed, the Gateway technical director. “If the trials prove successful, we expect these iconic vehicles to become a familiar sight in many cities around the world.”
Heathrow has been operating similar autonomous pods at Heathrow Airport for five years, where they have carried 1.5 million passengers over 1.8 million miles. Those pods ride on dedicated tracks and carry up to six passengers and their luggage and are wheelchair accessible. The Ultra pods have a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour.
Westfield is the vehicle integrator and pod manufacturer, responsible for vehicle design and testing. Heathrow contributes vehicle software engineering.
Oxbotica will provide mapping, localization, and perception and trajectory planning. Oxbotica reports it will also operate a smartphone based booking system.
The Gateway Project is funded by Innovate UK and its business partners.
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) is the leader of Gateway, providing transportation research, consulting, testing and certification.
The Gateway consortium includes the Borough of Greenwich, RSA Insurance Group, Telefonica O2, Shell, Gobotix Ltd., Commonplace, the Royal College of Art, and the University of Greenwich.
