Skip to main content

Public invited to take part in Greenwich driverless pod trial

Members of the public are invited to trial a fleet of driverless pods operating on a 3.4km route around Greenwich Peninsula as part of the £100m ($139m) Gateway project’s final phase. The pilot aims to understand the public acceptance of, and attitudes towards, driverless vehicles. The four pods will use advanced sensors and autonomy software to detect and avoid obstacles while carrying passengers. The vehicles, developed by Westfield Sportscars and Heathrow Enterprises, have no steering wheels or typical
March 9, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Members of the public are invited to trial a fleet of driverless pods operating on a 3.4km route around Greenwich Peninsula as part of the £100m ($139m) Gateway project’s final phase. The pilot aims to understand the public acceptance of, and attitudes towards, driverless vehicles.

The four pods will use advanced sensors and autonomy software to detect and avoid obstacles while carrying passengers. The vehicles, developed by Westfield Sportscars and Heathrow Enterprises, have no steering wheels or typical controls.

Fusion Processing’s automation system provides control and its Cavstar software combines GPS with radar and lidar to help the pods safely negotiate objects in their path. The technology is also said to enable the vehicles to operate in adverse weather conditions and in the dark.

A safety steward will remain on-board throughout the test to comply with the UK’s code of practice on autonomous vehicle testing.

Richard Cuerden, academy director, TRL, said: “As we explore the future of mobility solutions, it is essential that we consider the experience and benefits delivered to the consumer. This is why understanding and exploring the public perception of automated services has always been at the heart of the Gateway Project.

Related Content

  • Cepton thinks small with Nova Lidar
    January 18, 2021
    Miniature Lidar sensor is priced below $100 and designed for AV and ADAS applications
  • StreetDrone urges more emphasis on C/AV hardware 
    April 15, 2020
    A greater reliance is needed on the contribution hardware can make towards safety within autonomous vehicles (AVs), according to a report by StreetDrone.
  • Lidar lets planners see big picture in Chattanooga
    April 14, 2025
    The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is attempting to make its streets safer by using the largest deployment of Lidar-based traffic detection in the US. Adam Hill reports…
  • 5G or not 5G?
    April 16, 2019
    Just a few years ago, there was only one solution in terms of communications protocols for delivering vehicle connectivity. Now, road operators and vehicle manufacturers face choices – including a moral choice, perhaps. Jason Barnes looks at the current state of play There is a debate raging in the ITS world over future communications protocols. Asfinag, Austria’s national strategic road operator, has announced it will from 2020 be using ITS-G5 to support cooperative ITS (C-ITS) applications (‘First thin