Driverless Cars Could Benefit Fleets

Revolutionary connected vehicle technology is set to be put into public use in Milton Keynes later this year.

11:44 17 January 2022

The Imperium Drive’s Fetch project is set to be put into public use in Milton Keynes later this year. 

 

The project, which is part of the 4.1 million MK:5G initiative, uses connected vehicle technology designed to help fleets increase vehicle utilisation white cutting costs. If successful, the project will see the launch of a remote-operated car-hailing service that enables users to summon an unmanned vehicle via an app. 

 

Imperium Drive CEO Koosha Kaveh says the system offers a more cost-effective alternative to existing car-sharing schemes. He said: “Just to give some ballpark figures, today a ride-hailing service like Uber costs around £1.50 per mile and when autonomous Uber comes, it will be around £1 per mile,” he adds. “We are priced at 50p per mile.

 

“Today, more than 90% of ride-hailing trips cover less than 10 miles partly because of cost. Users just see journeys which are longer than 10-to-15 minutes as very expensive, but their need to make this sort of trip still exists.

 

“This means people make them with other means which are less convenient than Uber, like public transport or their own car.

 

“We are bridging and filling that gap to bring a convenient service that is as almost as cost-effective as a car for longer trips.”