UK Is First Country to Green Light Self-Driving Cars on Motorways
The UK government on Wednesday became the first country to announce it will regulate the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways, with the first such cars possibly appearing on public roads as soon as this year.
Britain’s transport ministry said it was working on specific wording to update the country’s highway code for the safe use of self-driving vehicle systems, starting with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) – which use sensors and software to keep cars within a lane, allowing them to accelerate and brake without driver input.
EV charging point in my local area. It is no secret that the car industry will be waving goodbye to the V8 in place of the electric motor in the imminent future; but with Teslas and Nissan Leafs an ever more common sight on British streets, and a pledge made by the government to cease the sale of cars solely powered by internal combustion engines by 2030, I was keen to explore the pros and cons of electric vehicle ownership and whether the government’s somewhat ambitious plans are realistic. Back in September 2020, the government announced its plans to bring forward its ban on petrol and diesel cars to 2030 (originally 2040), meaning that no new cars powered solely by internal combustion engines will be available to buy new after that date. New hybrids will be available until 2035 under the condition they are capable of covering a significant distance in zero-emission mode, although the government has yet to define what constitutes the word “significant” in this cont
By Nick Carey LONDON (Reuters) - The UK government on Wednesday became the first country to announce it will regulate the use of self-driving vehicles.
Such systems, which were first used in Japan, can help a vehicle to stay in its lane in slow-moving traffic on motorways (freeways), while allowing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel but safely take over when necessary. They can t, however, be relied on to navigate a car from a London borough to a suburb just outside Birmingham, for example.
British Transport Minister Rachel Maclean hailed the announcement as a major step for the safe use of self-driving vehicles in the U.K., adding that it could make future journeys greener, easier, and more reliable.
The government said the use of ALKS will be limited to speeds of up to 37 miles per hour on British motorways, meaning it will only really be used in heavy traffic. It did not immediately respond when CNBC asked if it is planning to trial the technology or allow members of the public to use ALKS in their own cars.
Such systems, which were first used in Japan, can help a vehicle to stay in its lane in slow-moving traffic on motorways (freeways), while allowing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel but safely take over when necessary. They can t, however, be relied on to navigate a car from a London borough to a suburb just outside Birmingham, for example.
British Transport Minister Rachel Maclean hailed the announcement as a major step for the safe use of self-driving vehicles in the U.K., adding that it could make future journeys greener, easier, and more reliable.
The government said the use of ALKS will be limited to speeds of up to 37 miles per hour on British motorways, meaning it will only really be used in heavy traffic. It did not immediately respond when CNBC asked if it is planning to trial the technology or allow members of the public to use ALKS in their own cars.