Award-winning SCALE project launches full route
Thursday 5 February 2026
Award-winning SCALE project launches full route to Birmingham Business Park
The Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project, a pioneering partnership led by Solihull Council and supported by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, is pleased to announce that the latest phase is now live.
Marking a major milestone, a fleet of autonomous shuttles have begun operating for the first time along the full 7km route between Resorts World, the NEC (including access to Birmingham International Train Station), and Birmingham Business Park (BBP).
This latest deployment builds on the success of earlier phases of SCALE, which saw three autonomous shuttles operating across the NEC campus. Until now, the deployment had stopped before the busy Bickenhill Parkway roundabout, making the latest phase the most ambitious real-world operation of the shuttles to date.
Visitors to the NEC, Resorts World, and Birmingham Business Park are encouraged to experience autonomous transport first hand each Tuesday to Thursday, 10am – 3pm until Thursday 26th March.
Passengers can also view the route and track shuttle locations in real time via the new SCALE Project website: https://thescaleproject.io/Link opens in a new window
Ben Ayre, Lead Engineer at WMG explained: “This is the exciting culmination of work carried out over the last two years showcasing a real-world execution of an autonomous vehicle shuttle service. WMG has provided safety assurance throughout the project to ensure that we are able to operate these automated vehicles safely in a challenging and changeable environment.
“This is an excellent opportunity to experience and give feedback on the service.”
Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Planning, said: “Seeing the autonomous shuttles travel the full 7km route for the first time is a major milestone for SCALE. Extending the deployment across a more complex environment gives us invaluable insight into how autonomous transport can integrate safely and seamlessly into busy public settings. We’re excited to invite visitors, workers, and residents to come and experience this technology for themselves as we continue shaping the future of shared transport here in Solihull.”
Find out more about the WMG’s research in CCAS here: Connected and Cooperative Autonomous Systems | WMGLink opens in a new window