Alexander Dennis enters autonomous bus project
Alexander Dennis has joined the consortium delivering the Connector project in Cambridge, for which it will build three Enviro100AEV autonomous buses.
Backed by Innovate UK, the Connector project consortium is led by the Greater Cambridge Partnership and already included bus operator Stagecoach, IPG Automotive, dRISK and Gamma Energy. It is part funded and supported by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles.
Alexander Dennis and its technology partner Fusion Processing Ltd, a provider of automated drive systems, have both joined Connector to provide three Enviro100AEV electric autonomous buses as part of a four-vehicle fleet delivering services in Cambridge.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro100AEV is a version of the next-generation Enviro100EV that has been fitted with autonomous vehicle technology.
The Enviro100AEV buses for Project Connector will be built later in 2024 and are expected to enter service in 2025 following a period of testing and training for the autonomous bus professionals who will act as safety drivers to provide on-board supervision.
Alexander Dennis, Fusion Processing Ltd and Stagecoach continue to demonstrate their joint expertise with the world’s most advanced and complex SAE Level 4 autonomous bus service in the CAVForth project in Scotland. The Connector project will build on this and previous experience to adapt the vehicle and its technology for services at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to further the development of this technology with our partners” – Chris Gall, Group Engineering Director for Alexander Dennis
Chris Gall, Group Engineering Director for Alexander Dennis, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to join the Project Connector consortium with our Enviro100AEV autonomous electric bus. This is a fantastic opportunity to further the development of this technology with our partners as we continue to explore use cases where autonomous buses can improve operational efficiency and add flexibility to transport networks.”