Get ready for the autonomous revolution – driverless cars are set to hit the UK's streets in the next two years.
The government has awarded four projects a total of £51m in funding to create the environments needed to test connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology.
The projects were the first to be funded from the UK's £100m CAV test infrastructure programme, which was announced in November last year.
The government said the projects would be fully operational within the next 18 to 24 months.
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Warwick Manufacturing Group received £17.6m of funding to lead a £25m project to set up real world test environments for CAVs in Coventry and Birmingham.
The consortium will make UK roads ready for autonomous cars by developing wireless networks analysing how vehicles behave in real urban environments.
Driverless cars will make their way through 80 km of urban roads, and Warwick said the project "[positions] the Midlands as a centre for cutting-edge automotive and communication technologies".
Developers hope they will reduce traffic congestion and accidents and provide societal benefits.
Business and energy secretary Greg Clark said: “Combining ambitious new technologies and innovative business models to address social and economic challenges lies at the heart of the government’s modern industrial strategy.
"Accelerating connected and autonomous vehicle technology development is central to achieving this ambition and will help to ensure the UK is one of the world’s go-to locations to develop this sector."
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