An autonomous vehicle trial is underway linking the NEC exhibition centre in Birmingham, UK, with the local railway station and car parking areas.

The self-driving shuttle service will be in operation during busy events at the NEC.

The Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (Scale) project is a collaborative initiative, aimed at better understanding the role self-driving vehicles might one day play within future transport systems.

The first phase of the route, linking the BP Pulse Live Arena to the VIP and blue badge parking area, was launched last month during an international trade delegation visit organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) and Zenzic. Delegates from across the world, including China, USA, Korea, Germany, Spain, France, Mexico, Slovakia and Türkiye, were among the first to hop on-board the vehicles during a demonstration ride.

The trial service is now open for members of the public visiting upcoming major events at the NEC including the Commercial Vehicle Show (www.cvshow.com) later this month. The route will be extended in further phases to see the fleet of three electric self-driving shuttles carry passengers along a 7km route linking passengers from Birmingham International rail station to the NEC and Birmingham Business Park by the summer.

The project is being delivered by a consortium led by the local Solihull Council, including WMG at the University of Warwick and Coventry University, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the NEC, Coventry City Council and automated vehicle simulation specialists IPG and DRisk.

“Connected automated mobility (CAM) technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we get around,” said local councillor Andy Mackiewicz. “We are excited to be leading the way, not just in Solihull, but regionally and across the country, in providing learning on CAM deployments in different settings and scenarios. Taking place across one of the best-connected destinations in the UK and Europe, this new Solihull-based route will join up three key assets within the UK Central Hub area, operating in a busy but controlled environment and gaining further real-world operating experience. As part of our continuous learning, colleagues at TfWM will be conducting a series of passenger surveys to better understand attitudes around this technology and potential barriers. I’d encourage anyone who is interested in helping to shape the future of automated transport to check the next development dates and take a ride for themselves.”

The accessible fully electric shuttles being used have been built by New Zealand based autonomous vehicle manufacturer Ohmio (www.ohmio.com) and can carry up to 14 passengers. They use a suite of cameras and sensors to understand their surroundings, allowing them to interact with live traffic and move around safely. In line with current legislation, the shuttles will have a human operator onboard, who will have the ability to take control if required. Each journey will also be tracked in real time from TfWM’s control centre on Summer Lane.

Funding for the multi-million-pound project has been provided by the Department for Transport’s Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV).

Find out more about the project and view upcoming deployments at www.solihull.gov.uk/about-solihull/scale.