WMG at the University of Warwick has been tasked with delivering two significant parts of a project to create one of the world’s most advanced environments for connected and autonomous driving.

Announced on June 1^st, the globally unique UK Connected Intelligent Transport Environment (UK CITE) project is worth a total of £7.1m and has won funding from the government’s £100 million Intelligent Mobility Fund. The fund, which has been established to accelerate research and development in connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, is administered by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and delivered by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

The new project could see trials on public roads as early as next year. It will enable automotive, infrastructure and service companies to trial connected vehicle technology, infrastructure and services in real-life conditions on 40 miles of roads within Coventry and Warwickshire. The project will establish how technology can improve journeys, reduce traffic congestion and provide in-vehicle entertainment and safety services through better connectivity.

WMG will be leading two major packages of work on the UKCITE projects. The first relating to the cyber-security challenges of the infrastructure implementation, and the second looking at new and evolving business models that could emerge from the new technology.

Professor Carsten Maple from WMG’s Cyber Security Centre at the University of Warwick said:

“Connected and Autonomous Vehicles are set to play a major part in our future and will form part of the nation’s Critical National Infrastructure. For people to be able to trust and rely on such systems it is imperative that they are robust, reliable and secure. We are looking forward to playing a significant role in ensuring the security of these systems.”

“Cyber Security threats represent a bottle neck to the implementation and uptake of connected and autonomous technologies. WMG will be bringing a robust academic approach to evaluating the extent of these threats to the technologies and infrastructure deployed as part of the UKCITE project. Security by design will embed WMG Cyber-Security experts in the project bringing state-of-the-art knowledge to the decision making process and apply robust academic rigor to the technology. Recommendations on current and future considerations for connected and autonomous infrastructure will also be made.”

WMG’s work on the project will include the use of its new ‘3xD Simulator for Intelligent Vehicles’. The simulator will be one of the world’s most adaptable and advanced driving simulators and will be used on the UKCITE project to replicate cyber-attacks and system vulnerabilities in a safe, controllable and repeatable environment.

New business models are constantly emerging from new technologies and shifting industrial landscapes. The automotive industry and transportation industry will need to be prepared for the effect connected and autonomous technologies will have on their business models, and Government will need to know how best to plan for future infrastructure and policy challenges. WMG’s business research in the UKCITE project will take a critical and systematic look at the new technologies in the project. The research outcomes will provide insight to the project partners about how to consider investment and resource to commercialise these technologies, but will also provide recommendations about how Government can direct its resource to best mobilise these technologies as part of a sustainable UK economy.

Professor of Energy and Electrical Systems, Professor Paul Jennings from WMG said:

“The technology being trialled in UK CITE will benefit all of us - WMG is pleased to have a broad range of its research capability involved in the project to help accelerate its introduction.”

As well as WMG at the University of Warwick the UK CITE consortium also includes many other leading industry, academic and local and national governmental organisations. It is jointly led by Visteon Engineering Services Limited and Jaguar Land Rover and includes Coventry City Council, Coventry University, Highways England Company Ltd, HORIBA MIRA, Huawei Technologies (UK) Ltd, Siemens, Vodafone Group Services Ltd, and WMG. The UK CITE project will create the UK’s first fully connected infrastructure on public roads using a combination of wireless technologies, which can enable real-world testing in a safe and managed way.

Phase One of the project will continue until the end of 2016 and will include the preparation of infrastructure on routes along the M40, M42, A46, and A45 – as well as an urban route in Coventry – and the preparation of a Vehicle, Systems and Gantry App, which will ensure variable roadside messages appear in-vehicle, either on the vehicle display or smartphone. Finally, pre-test trials will take place on HORIBA MIRA’s City Circuit.

Claire Lewis, Senior Business Development Manager at lead consortium partner, Visteon Engineering said:

“The UK CITE project is an ideal opportunity for automotive manufacturers, technology and infrastructure providers and service operators, and infrastructure operators to collaborate to develop a real-world test bed for connected technology in a non-competitive environment. The UK CITE project will enable all partners to accelerate their learning on cyber security and safety whilst exploring the commercial opportunities of the connected vehicle area.”

Tony Harper, Head of Research and Technology at Jaguar Land Rover, said:

“This real-life laboratory will allow Jaguar Land Rover’s research team and project partners to test new connected and autonomous vehicle technologies on five different types of roads and junctions. Other research corridors already exist in other parts of Europe. This test route with its mixture of road types and technology deployment is challenging the technology operation in real world environments and will provide the insight needed for deployment. This test route is exactly the sort of innovative infrastructure the UK needs to compete globally.

“The connected and autonomous vehicle features we will be testing will improve road safety, enhance the driving experience, reduce the potential for traffic jams and improve traffic flow. These technologies will also help us meet the increasing customer demand for connected services whilst on the move.”

The trials are likely to start on public roads as early as next year, following comprehensive initial tests on HORIBA MIRA’s City Circuit, which is a safe and fully controllable purpose built environment for the development and validation of Connected Autonomous Vehicle technologies and services.

 Notes to editors:

UK Connected Intelligent Transport Environment (UKCITE) is a project to create the most advanced environment for testing connected and autonomous vehicles. It involves equipping over 40 miles of urban roads, dual-carriageways and motorways with combinations of three ‘talking car technologies’, and testing for a fourth, known as LTE-V. The project will establish how these technologies can improve journeys, reduce traffic congestion, and provide entertainment and safety services through better connectivity.

The project is expected to take a total of 30 months, and is made up of the following consortium members: Visteon Engineering Services Limited, Jaguar Land Rover, Coventry City Council, Coventry University, Highways England Company Ltd, HORIBA MIRA, Huawei Technologies (UK) Co Ltd, Siemens, Vodafone Group Services Ltd and WMG at University of Warwick.

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency. We are business focused and drive disruptive innovation right across the UK economy, funding and connecting pioneering businesses so they can create the products, processes and industries of the future. It is our mission to boost productivity, increase exports and help the UK economy grow head and shoulders above other nations. For further information and to stay updated on our latest news visit www.gov.uk/innovateuk, follow us on Twitter at @innovateuk or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/InnovateUK.

For further Information please contact:

Lisa Barwick, Head of Marketing and Communications, WMG,
University of Warwick Tel: 024 76 524721 or 07824 540845 L.Barwick@warwick.ac.uk

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy, University of Warwick
Tel UK: 024 76523708 office 07767 655860 mobile Tel
Overseas: +44 (0)24 76523708 office +44 (0)7767 655860 mobile/cell
Email: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

For UK CITE overall please contact Bethany Haller or Molly Fowler at Grayling on 0121 265 2760 or email ukcite@grayling.com.