This is indeed the beginning of a new era. A new trial is being commenced as driverless cars will be publicly tested in Britain. Four cities (Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry) have been chosen for this purpose.
On Wednesday Feb. 11, four types of driverless cars were revealed to the public. The British government is very determined on making Great Britain the leading country in automotive technology, hoping it will benefit from this new industry that is expected to worth £900 billion by 2025.
Transport minister Claire Perry stated that this technology is still in the early stages of its development. She also considers this opportunity to be “a real game-changer”, giving Britain a chance “to take a lead internationally in the development of this new technology”. The new automotive vehicles are also tested in the United States by leading companies such as Google.
New jobs are also expected to arise once the cars will be ready for mass production.
The driverless automobiles and the trials are a result of the £19 million funding from the government. So this year, spring will come with a few new surprises, four to be exact, as each of the four British cities will be “equipped” with four autonomous vehicles, one of which looks a lot like a golf cart of greater proportions. The cars will be available for “test drives” in certain public urban spaces. The aim is to evaluate how people interact and asses these new vehicles while also examining whether the technology is user-friendly or much too complicated.
Companies will also be given the opportunity to test these new vehicles on the roads once the government releases a set of guidelines to be followed for “real-life scenario” testing. The rules are planned to be released this summer.
The government is also set on releasing a few guidelines that will help the Ministry of Transport and car insurance companies prepare for the beginning of a new era in car technology.
So if you’re in one of these four British cities, don’t hesitate to test drive these cutting edge vehicles. You will definitely remember this day. Imagine how impressed your future grandchildren will be when you will tell them that you were one of the first people to have tried a driverless car.
Image Source: The Telegraph
