The Smart Mobility Living Lab, a part of TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) in the UK, has conducted its first ever on-road CAV (connected and autonomous vehicle) test in London, in which selected members of the public were invited to ride as passengers.
The trial is the first to be conducted on the new advanced urban testbed that has been set up on the streets of Woolwich, southeast London. The Smart Mobility Living Lab (SMLL) is using open architecture to allow multiple stakeholders to test their CAV technology in a real-world environment over the next 10 years, as part of the Shared Research Programme (SRP).
The route chosen across Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, includes a range of complex road features, including a mix of residential and commercial areas, chicanes, parking bays and charging points, to enable the SRP members to increase their understanding and help shape the future of autonomous mobility services in London.
The vehicle being used in the trials is a Nissan e-NV200, which has been converted into an autonomous vehicle. Only a handful of local residents were invited to experience the vehicle in this initial test, but traffictechnologytoday.com got an exclusive ride during which this video was shot.
During all tests of this type UK law states that a safety driver must be ready to take the wheel. In this test two other researchers also monitor the ride. The vehicle is limited to 5mph in accordance to local traffic regulations, so this video is speeded up to eight times actual speed.
