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Could the driverless car revolution hit top gear in the West Midlands?

A driverless car revolution in the West Midlands has been fueled thanks to a £19 million funding boost.

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Could the driverless car revolution hit top gear in the West Midlands?

The Midlands Future Mobility project will focus on continuing its research into connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV).

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street welcomed the news and said the extra cash would help build a 'resilient and future-proof regional economy'.

Mr Street said: “For many years the West Midlands was at the forefront of automotive innovation and manufacture and we are now seeing a return to that with the cutting edge work being carried out around CAV.

“Our region is now recognised by manufacturers around the world as one of the very best places to test and develop CAV technology.

Tests are taking place into driverless car technology

“That can create a cluster effect with manufacturers setting up their operations here in order to be close to the facilities and expertise on offer.

“The funding announced today will help keep us at the top of this latest wave of automotive manufacture and build a strong, forward looking West Midlands economy that can offer decent, future-proof jobs for local people.”

About £11m of the funding, from government agency Innovate UK, will be used to expand 50 miles of roads in Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry.

The roads are currently being used by the Midlands Future Mobility consortium for testing new CAV technology, with plans to expand motorways and rural roads.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) will use about £3.3m to install digital roadside testing infrastructure on the motorways and rural roads.

The £19m of extra funding comes after £25m was secured by the Midlands Future Mobility consortium, which is led by WMG at the University of Warwick.

The consortium will now work with Highways England to add motorways to the existing network, which is already the largest and most diverse testing environment in the UK.

It involves new roadside infrastructure including smart vehicle monitoring, data analytics and 5G ready wireless infrastructure.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG added: “This funding significantly extends the work of Midlands Future Mobility and will help create a world where we can enjoy seamless, safe automated journeys. It will be a major step change in how we experience transport.”