Skip to main content

FiveAI starts AV commuter trials in London

A consortium led by FiveAI called StreetWise is carrying out commuter research trials for autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public roads in London. FiveAI says the trials will aim to gather insights into AV services, which it says could offer a greener alternative to urban commuter cars. The software company is working with insurance group Direct Line and safety organisation Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to carry out the trials in the boroughs of Croydon and Bromley. As part of the project, FiveAI has
October 28, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

A consortium led by FiveAI called StreetWise is carrying out commuter research trials for autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public roads in London.

FiveAI says the trials will aim to gather insights into AV services, which it says could offer a greener alternative to urban commuter cars.

The software company is working with insurance group 4236 Direct Line and safety organisation Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL) to carry out the trials in the boroughs of Croydon and Bromley.

As part of the project, FiveAI has provided the reference software stack that powers all aspects of the self-driving system. The stack was developed and trained using a dataset from UK roads and cities, including London.

Additionally, TRL is assessing researching participants’ willingness to use and pay for a shared AV service as well as measuring their attitudes towards safety and trust. It is also establishing a safety case for the StreetWise project and generating an independent database of scenarios for simulation testing.

Meanwhile, Direct Line is providing research participants for the trials. The firm’s head of motor product, Neil Ingram, says: “As technological advances continue at pace and self-driving cars become a reality, insurers need to understand how that changes risk; cars will increasingly be controlled by software rather than humans.”

He explains that the partnership will provide Direct Line with insight that will help to develop “insurance solutions for new tech enabled mobility services.”

StreetWise is a consortium initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Fund and part of a programme managed by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Two seconds – the difference between life and death
    October 17, 2016
    Professor Donald Fisher has spent 15 years identifying factors that increase the crash risk of novice and older drivers. His findings highlight the difference between living and dying, Colin Sowman reports.
  • Report calls for per-mile road charging scheme in London
    April 30, 2019
    London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged to replace the city’s existing road charge schemes with a single system that charges drivers per mile. Called City Move, the scheme would apply in areas of high demand and poor air quality. Rates would vary by vehicle emissions, local levels of congestion and pollution and availability of public transport alternatives – but would be set before the journey begins. A report by thinktank Centre for London - Green Light: Next Generation of Road User Charging for a Hea
  • Nasa tests drone traffic management system in Nevada and Texas
    February 25, 2019
    US space agency Nasa is moving into the final phase of its four-year programme to prove that it can safely control drones flying over urban centres. Drones, less commonly called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are likely to form an increasing proportion of the transportation mix for future cities, but questions remain over their safety – particularly in built-up, heavily populated areas. Nasa will test them in two areas – the gambling hotspot of Reno, Nevada, and the Texan city of Corpus Christi.
  • Volkswagen emissions – ‘a missing global standard is the issue’ say UK organisations
    September 24, 2015
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and research organisation Frost and Sullivan have both commented on the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, which has resulted in the resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn. The world's biggest carmaker by sales has admitted to US regulators that it programmed its cars to detect when they were being tested and altered the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions. Winterkorn said, “I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above