Aurrigo autonomous shuttle used at NEC as part of Solihull deal
Council buys £250,000 self-driving shuttle for use at exhibition centre and other locations in region
British autonomous transport specialist Aurrigo has sold its first Auto-Shuttle to Solihull Council in a deal that will involve the machine being used at the NEC.
The £250,000 autonomous electric shuttle sold to Solihull will initially be used for a four-week test on a one-mile pre-mapped section of road at the major exhibition centre near Birmingham before being considered for other ‘first and last mile’ transport services in the region.
That could include it being used during the Commonwealth Games, which Birmingham will host next year.
Aurrigo, which won the Innovation Award at the 2020 Autocar Awards, has developed the shuttle to carry up to eight people. It features a range of sensors to study its surroundings, and the firm claims it can interactive with live traffic with “little or no operator input”.
A fleet of three Auto-Shuttles are already being used for trial runs in Cambridge. Aurrigo experts more than 1000 people could use the shuttle during the new four-week trial at the NEC.
Councillor Ken Hawkins, who is responsible for the environment and infrastructure portfolio at Solihull Council, said: “Connected autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we get around our towns, cities and rural areas as well as transport goods. This trial is all about looking at how we can practically and safely start to incorporate autonomous vehicles into our future transport infrastructure.”
Hawkins added that the results of the trial will “provide learning on future mobility services and highway infrastructure design across all future development sites within Solihull and the wider region”, which could include integration with future HS2 railway stations.
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