Cambridge Electric Transport’s (CET) CitiPod, a low-speed, autonomous vehicles trial, has been awarded Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder Feasibility Studies (FS) Competition funding.
The FS Competition is part of the £150m CAM Pathfinder programme that is provided jointly by the UK government (via CCAV, DfT, DBT), Innovate UK, and industry through Zenzic.
The CitiPod trial aims to demonstrate the viability of deploying low-speed autonomous vehicles in urban high traffic density areas as well as pedestrian areas.
This is with the aim of increasing operational efficiency, better commuter services, and improving quality of life in urban areas.
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CET aims to integrate lightweight, electric autonomous pods like the CitiPod into Cambridge’s public transport system to reduce carbon emissions and make transport more accessible.
CET has spent several years developing CitiPod and early tests of autonomous pods and shuttles in densely populated areas across the UK have already demonstrated improved accessibility to reducing social isolation, tackling driver shortages and offering a more sustainable and cost-effective mode of transport.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is also supporting the study by helping to design use cases, ensure the work links with local transport strategy, and apply its experience of deploying autonomous vehicles.
CEO at Cambridge Electric Transport, Sean Moroney, said: “Our experience with shared micromobility in Cambridgeshire has made us aware of the potential for quadricycles to be more inclusive than bikes and scooters in terms of age, ability and gender.
“In addition, lightweight vehicles such as the CitiPod that we are developing represent a lower safety risk and can be deployed for a range of autonomous use cases on a relatively low cost basis.
“One of the pain points in shared micromobility is bike and scooter litter on pavements.
“Autonomous vehicles that can slowly drive themselves to designated parking areas once riders complete their rides will eliminate this.”
Achievements and innovations in connected autonomous vehicles will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
