The UK’s first self-driving ‘pod’ vehicle hits the streets
The first of three self-driving "pod" vehicles was unveiled in Milton Keynes yesterday, as part of a project to trial driverless vehicles in pedestrianised areas in the UK. Developed by Coventry-based manufacturers RDM Group, the two-seater electric-powered LUTZ Pathfinder pod has a maximum speed of 15mph, but will be limited electronically depending on the environment it is travelling in. &ldquo;This is a very exciting day for everybody involved in the LUTZ Pathfinder project, because it signals the completion of the manufacturing phase and the effective start of the autonomous technology trial,&rdquo; said Steve Yianni, chief executive of the Government's Transport Systems Catapult, the UK's centre for intelligent mobility.
Geoff Caddick/PA

The first fully-automated vehicle to be trialled on pedestrianised streets in the UK has been unveiled in Milton Keynes.

The fully-electric LUTZ Pathfinder pod has a top speed of 15mph and will be able to map and learn its environment, in order to drive people around towns and cities. After trials in Milton Keynes the pods will eventually be tested in other pedestrianised areas of the UK.

Unveiled outside Milton Keynes train station on Tuesday, the Pathfinder is a small, two-seater pod that looks like a blockier version of Daimler's Smart Fortwo. Following its first public unveiling the vehicle will fitted with its autonomous control system, which has been developed by Oxford University's mobile robotics group.

Commuters travelling through Milton Keynes on Tuesday were able to go for a test-drive in the pod, which is still fitted with a steering wheel. Once the autonomous system is installed it will undergo calibration tests on private test tracks before public trials in pedestrianised areas of Milton Keynes.