What makes the ideal autonomous vehicle test bed?

The UK is jockeying for a leadership position in connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. Through investments and sponsored technology competitions, it is proactively supporting the development of an autonomous future, particularly in terms of testing and validation capabilities. In 2017, the UK government awarded a total of £51m (US$66m) across four such projects in the West Midlands.

Millbrook was one of them. It has since applied its share of the funding to create a range of test areas that mimic real world driving environments, where developers can test connected and autonomous functions before the vehicles hit public roads. The recently opened Autonomous Village offers six purpose-built workshops to support mechanical, integration and software development for self-driving vehicles. Peter Stoker, Chief Engineer for connected and autonomous vehicles at Millbrook, believes facilities like this are pivotal to the successful development of this potentially life-saving technology.