Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

The aim of Clean Futures (CF) is to develop the West Midland's innovation ecosystem and drive economic growth by developing a two-year programme that will engage with industry and address the route to market challenge faced by SMEs in the transport sector. CF will support the transition of manufacturing capability and associated supply chains from fossil-fuelled transport products to clean-tech transport. The programme will focus on 40 SMEs who may be in existing supply chains or may be looking to move into new market sectors. Our aim is to support the selected SMEs to transition, develop and demonstrate clean tech transport solutions to Tier 1 and OEMs. CF is a collaborative project bringing together Connected Places Catapult, the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, Coventry University and CU Services Limited, as well as a number of partners from the wider ecosystem who can support the development of a cluster of exciting innovating SMEs and a strong community of interest including industry, government and investors. By bringing together this West Midlands innovation community, CF will drive jobs and growth through bringing innovation investors, buyers and suppliers together to tackle the challenges of clean transport. CF will work with industry partners to scope challenges, defining areas in which accelerating product development will make a difference to the industry. We will run competitions to attract companies with existing mid-development projects and select from them two dual cohorts in each year. Ten SMEs will work with each institution each year, providing focussed support for 40 SMEs in total. They will receive technological and development help for their products and benefit from business support teams to ensure they fully understand the markets for the products and are ready for investment to commercialise at the end of their assistance. Each cohort will close with a demonstration day, showcasing the technology and connecting with industry and financial partners. CF will provide a foundation for sustainability through the CF Academy, bringing together the wider West Midlands innovation community, to support longer-term sustainability and benefits. CF will drive impacts in the local economy by creating jobs, supporting the route to market for new products and services and encouraging local and inward investment in innovations that will transform clean transport in the region.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Motorway Mobility is a truly innovative concept that breaks the boundaries of conventional thinking. It is a vision that is aiming at the first global deployment of autonomous vehicles at significant scale to create a new type of public transport. The concept can be imagined as a new rail network, for which our existing motorways are the rails and automated vehicles are the self-propelled carriages. Motorway Mobility could realise a huge number of benefits: • Far more convenient public transport for inter-urban journeys, with ‘turn up and go’ services operating 24 hours per day. • Creation of new transport interchanges that could lead to new housing, commercial development and retail opportunities around interchanges. • Reduced congestion, vehicle miles travelled and air pollution by providing an alternative to long private car journeys. • Reduced number and severity of road accidents on motorways, through a combination of less traffic and vehicles with automated systems that do not get distracted or fall asleep. • Mobility for those who are unable to drive, which might include those who are too young or too old, those with disabilities or simply those who cannot afford to learn to drive, purchase and run a vehicle. These groups often are the most disadvantaged members of society. Fully automated vehicles are a key emerging technology that could fundamentally change our conceptions of mobility, accessibility, safety and congestion. However, the speed at which the technology will develop and the rate of uptake is unclear. Whilst it is plausible that autonomy may emerge widely and rapidly, it is also possible that it will involve a more gradual process of adoption where road infrastructure plays a significant role. The project represents a crucial major step towards the Motorway Mobility vision by compiling a high-level business case. The feasibility of trial locations will be investigated alongside the feasibility of developing an autonomous electric passenger vehicle.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.