ServCity, a Nissan and government-backed autonomous driving project, has finished after three years and racking up 1,600 test miles.
Taking place in Greenwich, London, the project was carried out using a Nissan LEAF electric car to create a “blueprint” on how cities around the country could eventually integrate self-driving vehicles and the feasibility of “robotaxi” services.
Robert Bateman, Nissan project manager, ServCity said: “With more than 115 people involved and almost 16,000 working days clocked up across the consortia during the lifetime of the project, ServCity represents an important step towards future deployment of autonomous mobility.”
Whilst driving around Greenwich, the autonomous car made use of Smart Mobility Living Lab’s roadside sensors and “data processing suite” to aid in its decision-making.
The ServCity consortium is made up of Nissan, Connected Places Catapult, TRL, Hitachi Europe, the University of Nottingham and SBD Automotive.
“The government has invested £7m in this project to be at the forefront of innovation. Since then ServCity has proven key to answer the practical questions of how to integrate self-driving vehicles into cities for the public good” said Jesse Norman, transport minister.
Self-driving in the UK
Last year, the government revealed a 2025 target for autonomous vehicles to appear on UK roads, supported by a £100m funding boost.
Nissan isn’t alone in developing and testing autonomous driving technology in the UK.
A self-driving, hydrogen-powered truck consortium, which includes supermarket Asda and HVS, was recently awarded a £6.6m government grant.
And last month Oxbotica secured £115m in its Series C funding round for its autonomous vehicle software.
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