Autonomous HGV project gets green light
A consortium project has been awarded £6.6m to develop and deliver the world’s first autonomous zero-emission HGV.
The consortium, Hub2Hub, has been selected by the Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) to create a self-driving tractor to begin road trials in 2024. It is one of seven recipients to receive joint industry and government funding.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps said: “In just a few years’ time, the business of self-driving vehicles could add tens of billions to our economy and create tens of thousands of jobs across the UK. This is a massive opportunity to drive forward our priority to grow the economy, which we are determined to seize.
“The support we are providing will help our transport and technology pioneers steal a march on the global competition, by turning their bright ideas into market-ready products sooner than anyone else.”
The Hub2Hub consortium is led by Fusion Processing and also includes HVS and ASDA.
Fusion Procession CEO Jim Hutchinson said: “Our market analysis indicates that the commercial vehicle segments such as haulage are where we will see autonomous vehicle technology first used in large scale deployments. Hub2Hub is a perfect showcase of what the advanced version of our CAVstar Automated Drive System can achieve. Combining SAE Level 4 autonomous driving with tele-operation to deliver safer and more efficient vehicle operations.”
