A project aiming to determine whether driverless trucks can be used to deliver parts in the North East’s automotive supply chain has stepped up a gear.
Vantec, a part of Hitachi Transport Systems Ltd, has started testing the UK’s first 5G connected autonomous truck in Sunderland as part of the 5G CAL (Connected and Automated Logistics) project.
Following the announcement of Terberg as a partner, plus the arrival of the autonomous and electric tractor unit in the North East in March, the 5G CAL proof of concept trial is en route to becoming the first in the UK to deliver Zero Emission Automated Logistics. Terberg’s HGV is now at Vantec in Sunderland and has now been equipped with the autonomous and teleoperation technology.
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Using a private 5G network, the system allows a driver to switch from autonomous operation to remote driver controls to overcome obstacles or unexpected objects on the road. Testing will continue for several weeks on the test track at Nissan, as well as on live route testing, ahead of proof of concept trials which will also continue for a number of weeks.
The 5G CAL project was awarded a share of £30m through 5G Create, an open competition combining British creativity with innovative new uses for 5G as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s £200m 5G Testbeds and Trials programme.
Julia Lopez, digital infrastructure minister, said: “The 5G technology being trialled in Sunderland could be crucial to boosting the UK’s productivity and reducing emissions, so I’m thrilled the Government has been instrumental in making this project a reality. We’ve funded dozens of cutting-edge trials like this across the country to ensure we unleash the true potential of 5G to level up our economy and improve people’s lives.”
Paul Butler, CEO of the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), said: “The North East automotive sector is a beacon of productivity, we continually strive for manufacturing excellence and this project is yet another example of how the North East leads the way. Industrial digitalisation provides the next step change in manufacturing productivity, we must continue to embrace technology with forward thinking digital infrastructure planning from partners such as Sunderland City Council.
“As part of our five-year strategy, we have an ambition to attract more R&D and innovation-focused activities to further strengthen the region to be an automotive powerhouse. This aligns to the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (NELEP) more and better jobs strategy as it’s a crucial way to retain talent in the region and attract new talent too.”
Steve Sutcliffe, general manager, inbound logistics at Nissan, said: “The 5G CAL project has shown us how the next level of logistics could look with further development and investment. The concept of autonomous delivery into the plant is a really exciting one, especially as we move towards a carbon neutral future at Nissan.”
