The United Kingdom accelerates the ambitions of self -driving cars

Slow and fixed. When it comes to Independent vehicles On the city’s roads, this was the approach in most countries of the world.

But on Tuesday, UK It announced that it would put a cautious foot on the pedal, when the Ministry of Transport said it will accelerate plans to allow companies to operate self -driving cars on public roads in limited experimental programs starting in the spring of next year. The British government initially planned to open its own driving cars more than a year after the second half of 2027.

“We can see what is the huge economic opportunity that this technology offers,” said Transport Minister Heidi Alexander in an interview. The administration estimates that the autonomous auto industry will create 38,000 jobs and generate 42 billion pounds (57 million US dollars) for the country by 2035. The Secretary also refers to better, more efficient and integrity of road safety as a motivation behind the country’s new schedule. “We know how difficult companies work on safety issues, and we do not want to sit waiting for the development of this technology,” she says.

A spokesman for the Transport Administration, Marco Parbato, says the experimental phase of the deployment of independent vehicles in the country will include a limited number of vehicles. The government aims to allow companies to launch full -ruling taxi services in the second half of 2027.

However, UK government officials say they will give safety. “We will not allow the publication of this technology on our ways unless we are confident that really strict safety tests have been fulfilled,” Alexander says.

The main transport players seemed ready to take advantage of the government’s declaration. the Independent British vehicle developer And giant passengers Uber He said on Tuesday that they would share the benefit of the new plan for the government by launching independent vehicle experiments on the London roads.

London will be a difficult place to operate self -driving cars, says Wayve CEO and founder Alex Kendall. “This is not Phoenix, Arizona-it is not a network that resembles a network in the desert where the sun always rises,” he says. (Waymo Phoenix self -driving taxi service started.. The launch of the service in London will help prove how its independent technology can be “subject to development and confidence.” Kendall refused to say when Uber and Wayve might call them.

Wif different cars autonomy.

With permission from the road