- Minister Phil Gawne is trying to tempt companies to the Isle of Man’s roads
- With a population of 90,000, the island has the infrastructure for large trials
- Manx government has already started discussions with big companies
- A panel has been set up to weigh the potential benefits and the findings are likely to be revealed later this month
The idyllic Isle of Man off the west coast of England is known for many things, from its castles and forts, coastal views and even a world famous motorbike race.
But residents of the island could soon see driverless cars winding their way along its country roads under plans to turn it into a self-driving ‘hub’.
The Manx government is currently trying to tempt car and technology companies to the island to road-test their autonomous vehicles.
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The idyllic Isle of Man off the west coast of England is currently trying to tempt car and technology companies to the island to road-test their autonomous vehicles. Pictured is Ramsey Harbour
Transportation minister Phil Gawne is trying to lure companies with the prospect of a scale trial of the vehicles on working roads.
With a population of 90,000 people, the island has the infrastructure in place for a real-world trial.
In addition, the Isle of Man’s autonomy means it is able to make changes to local legislation which could speed up the process.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Gawne said: ‘We like to be innovative on the island.’
In addition, the Isle of Man’s autonomy means it is able to make changes to local legislation which could speed up the process. Driverless vehicles, such as those being tested in Greenwich (pictured), could soon be seen winding their way along the island’s country roads
A government panel has been established to weigh up the potential benefits of bringing the technology to the island (pictured), which could see a boost in visitors to the island keen to see the cars in action
He added: ‘We like also to be independent. This helps both those areas in terms of our international image and reputation.’
And the wheels are already in motion, as the Manx government has reportedly started discussions with a number of companies about tests.
THE ISLE OF MAN
The Isle of Man’s freer legislation could be attractive to car and tech companies
The Isle of Man is a small island off the west coast of England.
With a population of 90,000 people, the island has the infrastructure in place for a trial.
In addition, the Isle of Man’s autonomy means it is able to make changes to local legislation which could speed up the process.
A government panel has been established to weigh up the potential benefits of bringing the technology to the island, which could see a boost in visitors to the island keen to see the cars in action.
The findings are likely to be revealed later this month.
A government panel has been established to weigh up the potential benefits of bringing the technology to the island, which could see a boost in visitors to the island keen to see the cars in action.
Mr Gawne said: ‘We’re very keen.
‘We can see a lot of potential advantages for the island. It also helps in terms of the image of Isle of Man.’
The findings are likely to be revealed later this month.
While the development of driverless vehicles has come a long way, they have largely been controlled tests, often on purpose-built roads.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, engineers and transportation researchers recently built a huge city road system for testing self-driving cars.
One of the biggest contenders in the field, Google, has been largely testing its autonomous vehicles on the streets of California.
However, the tech giant has complained about the state’s rigid legislation around autonomous vehicles.
The legislation of the Isle of Man could prove attractive to the likes of Google.
MailOnline contacted Google but the California-based firm declined to comment.
Four UK cities are currently enrolled in a trial of autonomous vehicles, which will see driverless cars tested in Coventry, Milton Keynes, Bristol and Greenwich, in south-east London.
It was revealed last week that the first driverless cars to hit London’s streets will begin testing in the summer as part of the £8 million Gateway project.
One of the big players in the field is Google, which has been testing its driverless cars on the streets of California. A similar trial could take place on the Isle of Man
The vehicles will be adapted from shuttle pods already being used to ferry passengers at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5, but are now being developed to work without their dedicated tracks.
It is expected that seven of the cars, which resemble small automated train carriages, will be tested out on the streets of Greenwich, south London, this July as part of three pilot schemes.
The Gateway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) project funded by Innovate UK, and will take place in Greenwich later this year.
London’s first driverless cars will be tested on the city’s streets this summer, after being adapted from shuttle pods already running at Heathrow Airport (pictured). The work is being carried out as part of the £8m Gateway project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) led by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)
It will trial a series of different use cases for automated vehicles, including driverless shuttles, autonomous valet parking and deliveries.
The hope is that by understanding public perception, reaction and engagement with the vehicles the trials will help introduce automated transport widely.
The UltraPods have been operating at Heathrow for nearly five years, carrying 1.5 million passengers and completed three million kilometres during that time.
FORD IS TESTING SELF-DRIVING CARS IN A FAKE MICHIGAN TOWN
Ford’s winter weather testing takes place in Michigan, including at Mcity – a 32-acre, fake urban environment at the University of Michigan.
It is part of the university’s Mobility Transformation Centre.
‘Testing Ford’s autonomous vehicle fleet at Mcity provides another challenging, yet safe, urban environment to repeatedly check and hone these new technologies,’ said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.
Ford’s winter weather testing takes place in Michigan, including at Mcity (pictured) – a 32-acre, fake urban environment at the University of Michigan
‘This is an important step in making millions of people’s lives better and improving their mobility.’
Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle merges today’s driver-assist technologies, such as front-facing cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors, and adds four LiDAR sensors to generate a real-time 3D map of the vehicle’s surrounding environment.
The full-scale urban environment provides real-world road scenarios, such as running a red light, which can’t be replicated on public roads.
There are street lights, crossings, lane markings, curb cuts, bike lanes, trees, hydrants, pavements, signs, traffic control devices and even construction barriers.
Cars are put through their paced on a range of surfaces – concrete, asphalt, simulated brick and dirt – and have to negotiate two, three and four-lane roads, as well as ramps, roundabouts and tunnels (map shown)
Cars are put through their paced on a range of surfaces – concrete, asphalt, simulated brick and dirt – and have to negotiate two, three and four-lane roads, as well as ramps, roundabouts and tunnels.
Ryan Eustice of the university said: ‘The goal of Mcity is that we get a scaling factor.
‘Every mile driven there can represent 10, 100 or 1,000 miles of on-road driving in terms of our ability to pack in the occurrences of difficult events
Peter Sweatman, director of the U-M Mobility Transformation Center added: ‘We believe that this transformation to connected and automated mobility will be a game changer for safety, for efficiency, for energy, and for accessibility.
‘Our cities will be much better to live in, our suburbs will be much better to live in.
‘These technologies truly open the door to 21st century mobility.’
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Isle of Man could become the world"s first self-driving island: Government wants to turn it into a hub ...
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