Driverless taxis could hit the streets of London in 2019

An driverless car firm based in Cambridge has raised £14 million ($16.4 million) in funding – Europe’s largest investment in an autonomous car start-up.

It hopes to develop a driverless car system tailor-made for the continent’s ancient network of roads.

Starting in London in 2019, the company believes it can compete with rival Silicon Valley firms, whose sights are more firmly set on the modern roads of the US.

An AI firm based in Cambridge has raised £14 million ($16.4 million). It hopes to develop a driverless car system tailor-made for the continent’s ancient network of roads. Pictured is a Nissan driverless vehicle being tested in London in February

DRIVERLESS CARS IN THE UK

The UK currently allows driverless car trials to take place on public roads anywhere, as long as that car is covered by insurance

This is where the issue often occurs, as the rules aren’t clear as to who is responsible if a crash occurs.

Despite this, insurers such as RSA have accepted applications from some driverless car companies.

First trials of the technology began in February 2015 in Greenwich, Milton Keynes, Coventry and Bristol.

In October 2016, a driverless car was tested among members of the public in Milton Keynes.

Volvo launched ‘Drive Me UK’ earlier this year, an extensive UK-based autonomous driving trial, involving up to 100 driverless cars being driven on roads by people later this year.

Five AI has been working on a new technology that will allow members of the public to summon driverless cars with a click of a button.

By teaching its vehicles how to navigate British roads, it hopes to beat off competition from rivals like Uber and Google, who are currently testing their technology across the US.

Founded last year, the firm has been given funding from the European venture capital firm Lakestar Capital, as well as Amadeus Capital Partners, run by Acorn Computers founder Hermann Hauser.

Five AI plans to test it’s Uber-like service that would allow people to order driverless rides through a smartphone app in south London in 2019.

It then plans to expand its operations across cities in Europe, gaining a foothold before its US competition.

The company’s director, Stan Boland, has seen success with tech companies Element14 and Icera, which he sold to chip firms Broadcom and Nvidia for £491 million ($640 million) and £282 million ($367 million).

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Boland said: ‘[London’s] a medieval city, the topography, objects and the behaviour of people in London are different to those of Phoenix, Arizona.’

Back in April, the Departments for Business and Transport handed £12.8 million ($16.4 million) to the firm.

They will develop the technology alongside Direct Line, the University of Oxford, Transport for London and the Transport Research Laboratory.

Five AI plans to test it’s uber-like service that would allow people to order driverless rides through a smartphone app, in South London in 2019. Uber has been conducting trials with two of its self driving Volvo SUVs (pictured) in San Francisco

FiveAI plans to create the system by the third quarter of 2019, and sees it being trialled in 10 electric cars in south London.

It has already been testing prototype vehicles on private land in Cambridge, and expects to soon move onto rural roads.

Although the firm has been given initial funding by the UK government, it plans to raise further money privately to grow its staff base from around 20 to 120 people in the next two years.

Speaking at the time, Mr Boland, told The Telegraph: ‘It’s about delivering to the consumer an autonomous Uber-type service in London.

‘It’s insane for people to buy a car and then leave it parked for 94 per cent of the time and only have one user per car, in the future vehicles can be shared.’

Back in April, members of the London public were given the opportunity to test a driverless vehicle for the first time. Around 100 people travelled in a prototype shuttle on a two-mile route near London’s O2 Arena

DRIVERLESS BUSES

In April, around 100 people travelled in a prototype shuttle on a two-mile route near London’s O2 Arena.

Five cameras and three lasers helped the vehicle navigate along a riverside path used by pedestrians and cyclists at up to 10mph.

A trained person was also on board who could stop the vehicle if required during the tests.

The Oxford-based ‘Driven’ group has also been given government funding to try out a fleet of autonomous vehicles between London and Oxford.

Professor Paul Newman, founder of Driven, told the BBC: ‘We’re moving from the singleton autonomous vehicle to fleets of autonomous vehicles – and what’s interesting is what data the vehicles share with one another, when, and why.’

This isn’t the first time that driverless cars will be tested on UK roads.

In February, Nissan began testing autonomous driving technology for the first time in Europe, using routes in East London to trial the performance of a Leaf electric car kitted out with cameras and radars deigned to help it negotiate traffic and roundabouts.

In April, members of the London public were given the opportunity to test a driverless vehicle for the first time.

Around 100 people travelled in a prototype shuttle on a two-mile route near London’s O2 Arena.

It is hoped the project could make it easier for smaller neighbourhoods in Greenwich to access existing public transport hubs.

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