FUTURE vision of the connected and autonomous vehicle industry in Scotland has been laid out by the Scottish Government.
Newly published CAV Roadmap sets out how Scotland can benefit from and contribute to the industry.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “I am delighted to launch the CAV Roadmap and deliver one of the key commitments from our Programme for Government.
“It sets out how Scotland can play a key role in this fast-moving industry, as well as the steps we need to take to unlock these opportunities.
“I intend Scotland to be at the forefront of these technologies. We are ‘open for business’ to test, demonstrate and pilot autonomous vehicle trials.”
One of the trials is ‘Project CAV Forth’ in which a consortium of partners from government, industry and academia are collaborating in the design, development and operation of a fleet of full-size autonomous buses between Fife and Edinburgh, across the Forth Road Bridge.
Mr Matheson added: “When combined with the uniqueness of our road network, challenges in delivering rural mobility and the recognised capabilities of our Higher Education Institutions, Scotland is a highly attractive environment in which to explore the further development of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.
“The deployment of connected and automated vehicles has the potential to bring transformative change to peoples’ lives – not just in how we travel, but in how we work, where we live, the environment, and safety.”
The Scottish Government is planning to have the first fully self-driving vehicles on roads by 2021.
