Automated vehicles have the potential to greatly reduce
road traffic accidents - in 2016 85.9% of collisions
causing injury involved human error, while official
research estimates that the market will be worth £50
billion to the UK economy by 2035.
Transport Minister said:
We want the UK to be the best place in the world to do
business and a leading hub for modern transport
technology, which is why we are introducing the
Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill in Parliament and
investing more than £1.2 billion in the industry.
This bill will aid the construction of greater
infrastructure to support the growing demand for
automated and electric vehicles as we embrace this
technology and move into the future.
Drivers of electric vehicles will be able to easily
locate and charge at any chargepoint, using information
from sat navs or mobile apps, regardless of the vehicle
make or model - making running an electric vehicle even
easier. All chargepoints will have to be ‘smart’, meaning
they can interact with the grid in order to manage demand
for electricity across the country.
Roads Minister said:
Automated and electric vehicles will help improve air
quality, cut congestion, boost safety and create
thousands of skilled jobs in the UK. We have already
supported the purchase of 115,000 ultra-low emission
cars and there are already more than 11,500 publicly
available chargepoints, but the demand continues to
grow as more people purchase electric vehicles to cut
fuel costs and boost the environment.
will also announce
further funding for local authorities at the Smarter
Travel Conference in Milton Keynes on Thursday to fund
install chargepoints in residential areas where cars are
parked on the street.
Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation said:
We are pleased to see the provisions of the Automated
and Electric Vehicles Bill re-starting their passage
through the Parliamentary process
It is clear that government needs to do more to
accelerate the take-up of electric vehicles, tackling
the issues that are currently persuading motorists to
sick with conventional fuels, as well as paving the way
for autonomy
The test, though, will be how effectively those powers
are exercised
All drivers of automated vehicles will be required to be
insured and victims of collisions involving an automated
vehicle will have quick and easy access to compensation,
in line with existing insurance practices.
James Dalton, ABI:
Insurers wholeheartedly support the development of
automated vehicles, as they have the potential to
significantly reduce the large number of road accidents
caused by driver error. We support the approach the
government has taken in the bill, as this will give the
industry time to prepare for the commercial rollout of
fully automated driving technology.
The bill will receive its first reading in the House of
Commons today.
