Independence vs. Collaboration
Independence is a fundamental part of our lives. As children, it is one of the earliest lessons we learn from our parents; something we all have in common. Learning to be independent brings an array of benefits that serve us well for the rest of our lives. It prepares us to make better decisions for ourselves, handle the trials and tribulations of failure and success, but perhaps most importantly of all, be less reliant on others.
Then we enter the world of business. Suddenly, expectations shift.
Our mindset changes from focusing on ourselves to working as one company, towards one common goal. One of the most important aspects of working life becomes relying more on others. Collaborating with colleagues is crucial to success.
The same concept of collaboration applies to connected and automated mobility (CAM)
Zenzic leads the self-driving revolution, by bringing together industry, government and academia. Fundamental to this effort is the coordination of the UK’s comprehensive and integrated CAM testing ecosystem, CAM Testbed UK. This ecosystem comprises six testbeds, which are accelerating the development of connected and self-driving vehicles from controlled and semi-controlled environments, through to public roads. Using CAM Testbed UK’s comprehensive facilities, companies based both in the UK and overseas are able to test and develop their technologies to progress their products and services.
To enable the successful deployment of connected and self-driving vehicles on UK roads by 2030, collaboration between testbeds and the wider CAM ecosystem is critical. If CAM Testbed UK was to operate independently, it would mean cutting off streams for new ideas, losing the benefits of developing opportunities together and risk being slower in reaching collective CAM objectives. Failure to develop capabilities would potentially jeopardise the industry’s chances of executing the deployment of self-driving vehicles at scale in the UK and globally over the next decade.
When we consider that the value of the UK Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Market is estimated be worth £28bn in 2035, or 3% of the £907bn global market, there are clear opportunities for the UK to make massive gains. Additionally, the UK Connected and Automated Mobility Roadmap to 2030 highlights that the number of UK jobs in the manufacturing and assembly of connected and self-driving vehicles is estimated to reach 37,400 by 2030. The roadmap is a cross-industry collaborative tool, created by and intended for multiple sectors, that was contributed to by over 150 organisations and 250 individuals.
The economic and societal benefits that can be reaped from CAM makes this an even more important opportunity to ensure we are a developer of connected and self-driving vehicle technologies, not a purchaser. To achieve this, working together across industry, government and academia has never been more vital for the UK’s success. Now is the time to collaborate and invest to achieve our goals together.
International collaboration is key
The UK’s global influence has continued to open doors to both share and learn from countries across the world, including Japan, Germany and USA amongst many more.
Our work with the Japanese, from events like JSAE through to hosting industry experts last November, taught us that the UK is unique. Our ability to conduct outstanding research and utilise the interoperability across our testbed ecosystem is gaining worldwide respect. Companies from outside the UK are already testing their technologies in the UK.
In 2018, the UK’s Business Minister signed a MOU with the then Governor of Michigan, which has opened the door to close collaboration between the two – increasing export and FDI opportunities, knowledge exchange, and thought leadership. For instance, over the past three years, Michigan and the UK have jointly developed an international future of mobility working group, attracting government, industry, and academia representatives from more than 10 countries, to explore mutual priorities that require a global solution, such as safety and digital resilience.
The sum of our work is greater than its parts
A collaborative testbed ecosystem will make the UK unbeatable. Whilst we recognise the need for increased interoperability between testbeds, the work with our international counterparts must continue to grow and thrive too.
By cementing these core principles and recognising that working with one another is vital in accelerating the future of mobility, we can achieve the ground-breaking milestones over the next decade as identified in the UK Connected and Automated Mobility Roadmap to 2030.
We will create a new, thriving and prosperous economy with a positive impact on society. The UK will continue to be internationally recognised as a world-leader in developing CAM technology, with companies from around the world testing and developing here. But in order for this to happen the entire CAM ecosystem and the wider industries and sectors must be focused on accelerating the development of technologies, products and services – all the while recognising the sum of our work is far greater than its parts.
Zenzic holds an important role in the UK’s CAM journey. Its role is to enable, coordinate and facilitate, and by doing so, creates the foundations for six individual testbed projects to thrive, as well as bringing together the three main stakeholder groups of industry, government and academia. Want to find out more about Zenzic and how the UK CAM Roadmap to 2030 can benefit your business and CAM projects? Download the roadmap now.