Driverless cars to make debut on British roads next year, Vince Cable says

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/30/driverless-cars-british-roads-next-year-vince-cable

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Driverless cars will be manoeuvering themselves around British streets from next year, the business secretary said on Wednesday, as he unveiled a review into the laws that ban them from the country's roads.

Vince Cable said the computer controlled vehicles would be trialled in three cities from next year, adding that the government would make a £10m fund available for developing the technology in the UK.

He said: "Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months, putting us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society."

It is illegal for cars to operate on UK roads without a driver in control. Semi-autonomous systems, including those available in cars such as the Volvo XC90, which control the speed of cars and keep them in lanes on motorways, require the driver to be fit and licensed to drive and have their hands on the steering wheel at all times to stay within the law.

The Department for Transport will also begin a review of the laws governing road use, but the it could not provide a timescale for wider adoption beyond the saying that the report would be submitted to the government by the end of 2014.

David Bruce, the director of AA Cars, pointed out that cars were already becoming increasingly automated with the introduction of assistance systems to aid parking and keeping vehicles in lane and a safe distance from the car in front.

"However, there is a big leap of faith needed by drivers from embracing assistance systems to accepting the fully automated car. Two-thirds of AA members still enjoy driving too much to want a fully automated car," he said.

Google's driverless cars hit the headlines and the public consciousness in May, when the search giant announced a new design. The technology, however, is very much at the prototype stage, with sensors and equipment costing around £90,000 over and above the cost of the vehicle itself.

Consumer versions are likely to cost the same as a premium saloon or sports car initially, before they reach a more mass-market cost.

The UK has various groups already working on driverless car technology, including experts at the University of Oxford and the engineering firm Mira, which provides autonomous vehicle technology to the military and has been testing driverless cars on a 850-acre site in the Midlands.