Skip to main content

Aurrigo trials self-driving pods in UK

Aurrigo has made 15 of its self-driving pods available to residents in the UK town of Milton Keynes as part of the Autodrive project. The three-year initiative, funded by Innovate UK, is part of an agreement with Milton Keynes Council to trial the pods as a first/last mile solution for citizens and visitors. The company says the Autodrive pods can travel up to 15mph for 60 miles on one charge – operating in the city centre from the central railway station. Brian Matthews, head of transport innov
October 30, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Aurrigo has made 15 of its self-driving pods available to residents in the UK town of Milton Keynes as part of the Autodrive project.


The three-year initiative, funded by Innovate UK, is part of an agreement with Milton Keynes Council to trial the pods as a first/last mile solution for citizens and visitors.

The company says the Autodrive pods can travel up to 15mph for 60 miles on one charge – operating in the city centre from the central railway station.

Brian Matthews, head of transport innovation at Milton Keynes Council, says the technology has the potential to develop into a public transport service.

This service could also provide travel options for citizens who are unable to drive or may find it difficult to use buses, bikes or have difficulty walking, Matthews adds.

Miles Garner, sales and marketing director at Aurrigo, says the company is holding discussions with potential customers to take its pods to university campuses, theme parks, shopping centres and retirement villages.

“The potential is huge and we are projecting increases in turnover that could reach £100m over the next three years,” Garner adds.

The Autodrive project also includes the deployment of connected and self-driving vehicles in Coventry, UK.

Related Content

  • September 13, 2018
    UK government reveals £400m EV charging network boost
    The UK government is providing £400m to create an electric vehicle (EV) charging point infrastructure, in partnership with the automotive industry. UK prime minister Theresa May says the government will ensure charge points can be easily accessed and available at motorway service stations and other petrol stations. There will also be £1.5bn for the development of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVS). Speaking at the country’s first Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit in Birmingham, May unveiled an ‘am
  • December 5, 2017
    New Mersey crossing ends Halton’s congestion misery
    Plagued by intolerable congestion but denied government funding for its solution, tiny Halton Borough Council relentlessly pursued its vision and achieved what many believed impossible. Halton may be a small local authority in north west England, but it had a big traffic problem. However, as the road, or more particularly the bridge, involved was not deemed a strategic route, central government would not commission or even fund a solution - a problem that many other local authorities will recognise.
  • February 2, 2018
    Nissan to lead human driving style AV project in the UK
    Nissan’s European Technical Centre will lead a 30-month Autonomous Vehicle trial on UK country roads, high speed roundabouts, A-Roads and motorways with live traffic and different environmental conditions. Called the HumanDrive project, it will also emulate a natural human driving style with the intention of providing an enhanced experience for its occupants. The artificial driver model that controls perception and decision making will pilot the vehicle, and will be developed using artificial intelligence
  • October 13, 2016
    First UK public trials of self-driving vehicles
    The Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) in Milton Keynes has successfully tested its self-driving vehicles in public for the first time in the UK. The demonstration of a UK developed autonomous driving system marked the conclusion of the Lutz Pathfinder Project, which has been developing the technology for the past 18 months. The project team has been running a number of exercises in preparation for the demonstration as part of the Lutz Pathfinder project, including virtual mapping of Milton Keynes, assess