Navya Launches Autonomous Shuttle Service on U.K. Public Roads

September 2, 2021

Navya, which develops autonomous driving systems, has announced its first deployment on public roads in the U.K., at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. The shuttle will transport employees and visitors 24/7 around the U.K. science and technology hub, located in Oxfordshire, England.

The shuttle will be operated by DARWIN, a British company that specializes in the application of cutting-edge technological research in the field of terrestrial and satellite communications. DARWIN’s focus is to enable reliable connectivity on the move by combining terrestrial and satellite communications, with the aid of the European Space Agency, mobile provider O2 and satellite operator HISPASAT.

“We are delighted to have registered Navya’s purpose-built connected autonomous shuttle for use on publicly accessible roads at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire,” said Sophia Ward, operations manager at DARWIN. “This is a significant regulatory milestone on the road to making CAV mobility a reality, and an exciting step on our innovative journey to realizing the potential of ubiquitous communications. We now look forward to announcing future trials involving this exciting new technology soon.”

U.K. insurer AVIVA is also a partner, and will use the results of DARWIN’s trial to evolve its insurance products to provide comprehensive coverage for autonomous vehicles and associated technologies.

“We are very pleased to be part of this trial at the renowned Harwell Science and Innovation Campus,” said Pierre Lahutte, CEO of Navya. “This new deployment allows Navya to strengthen its technology with an additional use case in a complex environment and to contribute to the development of insurance practices for autonomous vehicles.”

For more details on Navya’s technology, visit its website here.

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