The step towards ‘driverless’ heavy goods vehicles on UK roads inched closer with news that eFreight Autonomous has secured funding to explore its feasibility, writes Peter Brown.
Money and support have come from the UK Government and industry through the CAM Pathfinder Feasibility Studies (FS) Competition delivered by Innovate UK and Zenzic.
eFreight Autonomous will explore the role of autonomous HGVs in the UK from the perspective of fleet operations by ‘evaluating today’s technology and understanding the direction of future developments’.
The study aims to identify potential use cases, assess commercial viability, and examine the infrastructure and legislative frameworks required to enable autonomous trucking in the UK, explained the chairman Sir Vince Cable.
The former Secretary-of-State for business, innovation and skills gave the green light to the UK’s first tests of driverless technology in 2014.
“We are delighted to have been selected to take part in the CAM Pathfinder feasibility study to research, evaluate and help shape the future of UK freight transport from the perspective of fleet operators,” he said.
“Autonomous technology offers a chance to unlock innovation across transport, strengthen the UK supply chain and rethink logistics that are cleaner, greener and better for local communities and better for business”
Work on the eFreight Autonomous feasibility study project will begin summer 2025, with results delivered early 2027.
At the end of the project, eFreight Autonomous will produce reports and briefing documents for government and industry that outline the roadmap for autonomous heavy road freight vehicles, identifying potential opportunities, risks, costs and timescales for autonomous vehicles for the road freight industry.
