The UK’s connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) industry will be showcased at the ITS World Congress, which will take place on September 17-21 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
As the biggest global gathering of smart transport professionals, the World Congress brings together leaders in intelligent and transformative transportation to address the challenges facing ever more mobile and connected societies, both today and in the future.
The UK pavilion at the event will be branded under the ‘Britain is Great’ campaign, and will be hosted by the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) Innovation Center alongside the UK government’s Innovate UK organization.
They will be joined by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), the government and industry-backed Meridian Mobility organizational platform, and the UK Department for International Trade.
The Pavilion will demonstrate the open regulatory framework available to CAV developers and the expertise that can be accessed in the country through its academic base and SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) network.
Highlights will include major autonomous demonstrations, world leading technology companies and the industry bodies that are making the UK one of the leading testbeds for CAV technology. UK automotive business Aurrigo will be undertaking live demonstrations of its autonomous vehicles, including shuttling visitors between the Congress and the local Metro station. On the stand, SMEs working in transport innovation in the UK will be on show including: Immense Simulations, Nicander, Basemap, CGA Simulation, Chargebox, Conigital, Control F1, and Valerann.
“The UK is a world leader when it comes to CAV technology and the ITS World Congress is an excellent stage to show off our innovative SMEs, academic expertise, development facilities and progressive legislation,” explained Paul Campion, CEO of the TSC.
“The businesses we have on show demonstrate how exciting this sector is in the UK and we’ll be seeking international partners and businesses looking for places to test and develop CAV technology, so we can show them how the UK can support them.”
Dr Daniel Ruiz, CEO of Meridian Mobility, noted, “In Copenhagen, Meridian and the CCAV will host the inaugural CAV International Collaboration Working Group for policy makers and enabling organizations representing nations at the forefront of introducing self-driving vehicle technology. The World Congress is the leading global forum for transport innovators and we believe it provides the perfect opportunity to explore collaboration with like-minded partners to accelerate the introduction of CAV-based systems and delivery of the societal and economic benefits they offer.
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the TSC on the UK Pavilion, where the Meridian Mobility Café will be hosting Testbed UK, with representatives from the UK’s integrated network for the testing and development of CAV products.”
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Denmark, Dominic Schroeder, commented, “On behalf of the Department for International Trade I very much look forward to welcoming UK companies attending this year’s World Congress. The city of Copenhagen has ambitions to be the first ‘Carbon Neutral’ city in the world by 2025, improving traffic flow, reducing emissions, and increasing safety for its people. Innovative ITS, designed and manufactured by cutting-edge UK companies, stand ready and able to lead the way.”
