New UK self-driving pilot: Ohmio shuttles to link Birmingham International to the NEC
Visitors to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham – home to many of the UK’s most popular motoring events – will soon be able to enjoy electric self-driving shuttle rides courtesy of New Zealand-based autonomous vehicle manufacturer, Ohmio.
The first in an eagerly anticipated wave of new UK self-driving pilot announcements expected before Christmas, The Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project will see a fleet of three Ohmio Lift shuttles (with a safety driver behind the wheel) ferrying passengers along a new 7km route linking Birmingham International railway station, the NEC, and nearby Birmingham Business Park.
SCALE consortium
Supported by the Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), Innovate UK and Zenzic, to the not inconsiderable tune of £4m, the project will be led by Solihull Council and delivered by a consortium including Coventry University, WMG at The University of Warwick, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the NEC, Coventry City Council, Direct Line Group, IPG and dRISK.
“Connected Automated Mobility (CAM) technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we get around,” said Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Planning in Solihull.
“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. We’ve already carried out a series of successful pathfinder trials here in Solihull, and shown how it is possible to practically and safely start incorporating self-driving vehicles into key parts of our transport infrastructure.
“SCALE represents the next step in this learning and will help develop our understanding around how future commercial passenger services might operate. We’ve brought together a fantastic consortium of experts for this pilot and are already benefitting from the ability to share our relevant expertise and experience.
“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.”
Ohmio Lift self-driving shuttle
The Ohmio Lift shuttle can carry up to 20 passengers, the route features specialist roadside technology, and every SCALE journey will be tracked in real-time from the nearby TfWM control centre.
“This is a really exciting opportunity for Ohmio as we grow our business in the UK and Europe,” said Ohmio CEO, Dean Zabrieszach. “We’ve been involved in numerous trial deployments across the world; however, in the SCALE project, it is evident that our consortium members are eager to progress towards a full-scale transportation service.
“Autonomous electric shuttles like the Ohmio Lift have the capacity to fill a void in current transportation systems by providing first mile and last mile accessibility for our communities.
“We look forward to working with our partners in delivering a first-class project and look forward to continued opportunities in the UK, where the government is taking a leading role in supporting such projects.”
Self-driving UK
Mark Cracknell, Programme Director at Zenzic, added: “This is an exciting development for SCALE, one of the six successful projects from the CCAV Deployment competition, which form the most advanced set of commercial self-driving passenger and freight operations anywhere in the world.
“With these investments, the UK is further strengthened and positioned to become one of the world’s leading destinations for the adoption of CAM technology and the delivery of improved transport services.”
Services are due to start “before the of the year”, with the initial project scheduled to run until the end of March 2025.
Early riders are therefore likely to include petrolheads on the annual pilgrimage to the Autosport International show in January. Positive feedback from them would be a notable win in the race for public acceptance.
Then there’s the indy kids heading to see Ocean Colour Scene in March. Which will be more memorable, The Day We Caught The Train or catching a self-driving shuttle? Any excuse to play it… enjoy!
