Making EV Accessible - BP Agrees Chargemaster Charge
June 28 saw BP enter into an agreement to purchase Chargemaster, the UK’s largest electric vehicle charging company. Chargemaster operates the UK’s largest...
Read Full ArticleClimate Change and Industry Minister Claire Perry has said a new co-ordination hub for connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies will be created. The hub will join-up companies along the M40 corridor under the banner of Meridian.
Meridian will be funded jointly by the government’s £100 million CAV investment programme and by industry. "We want to create a cluster of excellence in driverless car testing, along the M40 corridor between Coventry and London, to accelerate the development of this technology, grow intellectual capital and attract overseas investment in the UK," said Perry.
Industrial Strategy
A key part of the UK's Industrial Strategy commitment is to develop CAV testing facilities and infrastructure. The launch of the Meridian brand follows a call for evidence by the Centre of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles in May 2016 into how the UK can integrate and strengthen its CAV testing facilities and to consider the case for a test bed to provide a focus for the industry.
Responses to the consultation were published in March, reflected broad industry support from the Automotive Council, among other sectors and companies, for coordinating the UK’s existing testing facilities and for Government funding to support this work.
Minister Perry also said: “By 2035 the global market for CAV technologies will be worth £907 billion and through government investment and collaboration with industry in this area we will ensure that the UK becomes one of the global ‘go to’ destinations for the development of this technology.”
With bases at the Coventry and Stratford branches of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), Meridian will bring together the UK’s existing CAV testing centres to create a concentrated cluster of testing facilities that covers all testing requirements for CAV technology. Analysis has identified that through the hub, the UK has an opportunity to focus on four strategically important areas:
Ford Director of Global Vehicle Evaluation and Verification and Chair of the Auto Council Technology Group, Graham Hoare said: “These technologies are coming and will profoundly change our understanding of mobility. The UK has long-standing capabilities across many of the sectors supporting new vehicle technologies and an approach that is more open and collaborative than other markets.
“We recognise that these new technologies are broader than the automotive sector and we welcome the different ideas and perspectives that this brings.”
Picture: A fully Autonomous electric shuttle from Meridian
Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 22 September 2017
June 28 saw BP enter into an agreement to purchase Chargemaster, the UK’s largest electric vehicle charging company. Chargemaster operates the UK’s largest...
Read Full ArticleVolvo Cars, the Chinese car firm, has announced that every Volvo it launches from 2019 will have an electric motor, marking the historic end of cars that have only an...
Read Full ArticleEngie has announced its commitment to begin switching to an electric vehicle (EV) fleet to improve air quality and help meet its decarbonisation targets for 2020 and...
Read Full ArticleFormer racing driver and Confused.com motoring Editor Amanda Stretton says she has a solution for the impact cars have on air quality. She says: “The air...
Read Full ArticleApps that notify motorists of congestion and available parking spaces and real time journey information for visually impaired passengers, are just some of the projects...
Read Full ArticleDriverless cars could significantly reduce delays according to a new study by the Department for Transport. The project used computer software to create virtual models...
Read Full ArticleA record number of new ultra low emissions vehicles are appearing on Britain's roads according to figures published by the Department of Transport. Department for...
Read Full ArticleThe uptake of plug-in cars has reached a record high in the UK with more than 115 electric cars registered every day during the first quarter of 2016. In total,...
Read Full ArticleNovember 1 saw the Royal Automobile Club announce that the recipients of the Dewar Trophy and Simms Medal for 2017 are Jaguar and the HiperCar Consortium...
Read Full ArticleA total of 25 boroughs, each receiving up to £300,000, will install up to 1,500 standard-speed on-street charging points in residential areas nearly £4.5...
Read Full Article