Fourteen projects focused on connected and automated mobility (CAM) have secured government funding to assess the commercial and technical viability of self-driving technologies in the UK.
Transport for London, International Airlines Group and Admiral Insurance are among the organisations involved in the feasibility studies, funded through the CAM Pathfinder Feasibility Studies (FS) Competition.
The scheme is part of the national government’s £150 million CAM Pathfinder programme, launched earlier this year under the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
The programme aims to tackle the challenges of bringing CAM vehicles to market by providing funding for UK-based projects developing new technologies and services in areas such as software and smart transport.
The projects will explore a range of early-stage applications, including autonomous shuttle services, freight vehicles, and automated airport logistics.
The competition is being delivered by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), in partnership with Zenzic and Innovate UK.
This latest round of funding forms part of a longer-term strategy to grow the UK’s CAM industry, which is currently valued at £3.7 billion, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The initiative also sits alongside the recently announced £2.5 billion DRIVE35 programme, a separate government initiative aimed at strengthening the UK’s automotive sector over the next decade.
While the CAM Pathfinder FS competition focuses on feasibility, the broader programme aims to build a pipeline for commercial deployment.
According to Innovate UK, the projects will examine barriers to adoption and gaps in the UK supply chain that could affect the rollout of CAM services.
Mike Biddle, executive director for Net Zero at Innovate UK, added: “The funding for these CAM feasibility studies will enable the project teams to explore early commercial opportunities and address key technology gaps, to accelerate the development of solutions needed for more widespread CAM deployment.”
Zenzic, a government-backed organisation established in 2018 to coordinate the CAM ecosystem, has supported numerous trials in cities including Cambridge, Belfast and Milton Keynes.
The organisation’s programme director, Mark Cracknell, said the selected projects will “provide vital insight into the opportunities presented by the UK becoming a global CAM pioneer.”
The 14 projects include a range of public and private partnerships. Among them are TfL’s London Bus Depots study, IAG’s airport baggage handling concept, and an autonomous risk assessment system being developed by the University of Warwick via its WMG department and global engineering firm IDIADA.
The government has stated its ambition to grow the UK CAM sector to £40 billion and create over 6,500 jobs by 2040.
