Autonomous shuttle bus Ohmio Lift was named Vehicle of the Year at the Self-Driving Industry Awards in Margate on Friday.
The awards, presented by website Carsofthefuture.co.uk, recognises the best in driverless vehicle innovations across 10 categories.
The Ohmio Lift, which can carry up to 20 passengers, will be trialled on the streets of Milton Keynes in December as part of the StreetCAV project. It will also be used on a 7km loop linking Birmingham International rail station, the NEC and Birmingham Business Park.
Ahead of the awards, the vehicle provided public rides in the car park of the Turner Contemporary, the venue for the event.
Cars of the Future editor, Neil Kennett, says: “At last year’s inaugural Awards, Mayor Rob Yates challenged us to get a driverless car to Margate. Better than that, we got the Vehicle of the Year winner – although they didn’t know it yet – to give locals their first taste of full self-driving. The feedback was universally positive, and the BBC were there to film it.
“Rather than an augmented version of an existing car or bus, the Ohmio Lift was designed to be self-driving from the beginning. With no driver’s seat or steering wheel, it can carry up to 20 passengers, with disabled access prioritised via an automatic ramp and dedicated wheelchair bay.
“Here in the UK, visitors to the NEC in Birmingham will soon enjoy rides as part of the government-backed SCALE project. More significantly, it will soon be on-road in Milton Keynes, as part of the StreetCAV project – supported by CCAV, Innovate UK and Zenzic – potentially providing a blueprint for nationwide deployment.”
The Ohmio Lift uses cameras and sensors to navigate safely, although they are presented manned by a human operator who is ready to take over if required – in line with current legislation.
