After over 1,600 miles, the test run results are zero crashes for driverless cars in south-east London.
In conclusion, autonomous vehicles can operate safely in cities after extensive tests show excellent results after three solid years of trials in south-east London.
Nissan, who conducted the test around Woolwich town centre, had the driverless cars cover a total of around 1,600 miles without any crashes whatsoever. But Nissan also stated autonomous cars may still be years away from going on sale to the British public.
The fully electric Nissan Leaf cars were fitted with roof cameras, radar, and GPS, plus six computers in the boot which enabled the cars to navigate safely around the streets of southeast London.
As the tests were conducted, there was always an engineer in the driver’s seat, who was on standby in case incidents occurred, but that was never the case in the testing.
ServCity Project
The £10.7 million ServCity project has now shown that autonomous vehicles can make instant adjustments to their routes based on the various movements of other road traffic.
During the testing, the cars accessed images and data from on-street cameras on the 2.7-mile test circuit, from the Woolwich ferry to the Plumstead bus garage. The images and data enabled the cars to avoid issues on the road ahead, this included a lane blocked by a parked bus.
Smart Mobility Living Lab
The tests were carried out at a place called the Smart Mobility Living Lab in Woolwich by a consortium involving the Transport Research Laboratory and Nottingham University.
Tests included situations like checking the reaction of pedestrians when a driverless car stopped for them to cross the road. Each car had an electronic sign on the car bonnet flashing the words “I’m giving way” with a smiling emoji image. The pedestrians were unable to see that the test engineer was actually concealed behind a fake front seat.
Another example of how clever the tech will be inside these cars once they are ready to be rolled out on the production line is if the car is brought to a standstill when a group of pedestrians walks into the road the car will continue to wait, even though a green light has given vehicles the right of way.
UK Laws
The UK laws permit autonomous vehicles to be driven on the road but only for research purposes. Autonomous cars are permitted on some roads in Japan and Germany.
Now that the tests are completed with positive results, this will now pave the way for the autonomous vehicles report to be published later in the year. The ultimate goal of the project is to make car transport “cleaner, safer, and more inclusive” One example of how this can benefit some people in the UK, it will enable autonomous cars to provide transport for people with disabilities or elderly people who are no longer able to drive.
Another example of how autonomous vehicles will be able to serve the community is the creation of “robo taxi” services in rural areas that are poorly served by local public transport, according to the Vice President for vehicle engineering at Nissan’s European Technical Centre, Matthew Ewing.
Mr. Ewing went on to say “The car can navigate many of the challenges that driving in London brings, from pedestrians crossing the road unexpectedly to coping with parked buses. It’s been very successful.”
“Having the technology on the car that is observing what is going on around the car all of the time, and being able to interpret that data and control the vehicle safely, should be able to significantly reduce accidents.”
Getting ready for the future
What seems to be occurring in the UK at the moment is the increase in electric cars and hybrids. As a well-renowned family-run used car company, WOO Carz which is based in Southampton has the best quality used cars to ensure you are taking the right steps in being ready for the cross-over to a fully electric car.
WOO Carz sells a range of quality used cars that are ULEZ-compliant and modern to be more fuel efficient and economical than older cars that are more than 10 years old. WOO Carz will even consider helping customers settle their existing finance on their old cars, which will be a great help if the current economic conditions are making it harder for them to maintain and run.
All used cars sold by WOO Carz will come with a full warranty, and HPI Check and are thoroughly inspected by qualified mechanics. Once all checks and servicing are completed, WOO Carz will then deliver your car free of charge to your home or place of work, anywhere in the UK.
Even if you can’t find the right car suitable for you on our website, WOO Carz will source the car of your choice and still have it delivered, normally within 3 working days, which is all part of the service.
The key is to now trade in older cars that our non-ULEZ compliant and trade up for ULEZ-compliant used cars, in order to save on the £12.50 a day ULEZ charge, within a number of city zones across the country, most notably around London, as there are further plans for the zones to be expanded by August 2023, meaning there’s even greater importance in driving the right car that complies with the road traffic emission standards.
To find out more about applying for quick-decision car finance which WOO Carz offers, click here to fill out a simple application form and get a decision normally within 1 hour. Or you can call us at 02380 225 666 and speak with one of our friendly advisors.
WOO Carz is authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide finance on all the used cars we stock and source. We work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who specialise in offering car finance to people with high or low credit scores.