Larbert, United Kingdom – 28th October 2025: (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF, TSX: NFI.DB) Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., a leader in propulsion-agnostic bus and coach mobility solutions, today announced that its Enviro100AEV electric autonomous bus has won the Vehicle of the Year title at the Self-Driving Industry Awards 2025.
The award was presented by Cars of the Future at the Turner Contemporary art gallery in Margate, England in recognition of the pioneering role of Alexander Dennis and its technology partner Fusion Processing Ltd in advancing connected and automated bus technology.
The Enviro100AEV is used in ongoing UK Government-funded projects including Connector, which will see several of the type operating a trial passenger service in Cambridge, and AutonoBus, where an Enviro100AEV will perform controlled track testing at SAE Level 4 supervised by a trained safety driver located in a remote control room instead of being on board.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro100AEV is the autonomous version of the manufacturer’s “big small bus”, an 8.5m long and 2.35m wide electric vehicle offering room for up to 26 seated passengers in the same style and comfort as larger vehicles.
It has been equipped with Fusion Processing Ltd’s CAVStar® automated drive system which integrates AI and high-performance computing with radar, lidar, and optical camera systems to deliver SAE Level 4 of automated driving to any drive-by-wire vehicle.
Jamie Wilson, Head of Concepts & Advanced Engineering at Alexander Dennis, accepted the award for the manufacturer and said: “This award for our Enviro100AEV is a fantastic recognition of the groundbreaking work we are doing to explore the technical and commercial
opportunities for connected and automated vehicle technology in buses. This has been made possible by the technology partnership with our friends at Fusion Processing, whose automated drive system is at the heart of the exciting advances we look forward to continuing to demonstrate to the self-driving vehicle industry over the coming months and years.”
Jim Hutchinson, CEO of Fusion Processing, represented Alexander Dennis’s technology partner and said: “We’re delighted to be recognised for our work with Alexander Dennis on the SAE Level 4 Enviro100AEV. Automated buses represent a genuine game-changer – not least through the up to 20% energy savings they deliver and the significantly enhanced safety they provide. The commercial applications for automated buses are incredibly exciting, and we’re eager to see how this technology transforms the market in the coming years.”
Cars of the Future Editor, Neil Kennett, commented on behalf of the 2025 Self-Driving Industry Awards judging panel: “We are delighted to present our flagship Self-Driving Vehicle of the Year Award to The Enviro100AEV by Alexander Dennis and Fusion Processing. The reaction to the unveiling of this all-new ‘small big bus’ at last month’s Cenex Expo made up the judges’ minds. It is best in class, designed and built right here in the UK. Using the Fusion CAVStar automated drive system, two of these buses will go into service within a matter of weeks as part of the Connector project in Cambridge. This transformative trial will demonstrate the safe, practical application of SAE Level 4 automation for enhanced accessibility, reduced emissions, reliable and comfortable public transport.”
Connector and AutonoBus are delivered through the CAM Pathfinder Programme, funded by UK Government. The CAM Pathfinder Programme, as part of the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy and the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, is delivered by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)’s Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) team, in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro100AEV’s success at the Self-Driving Industry Awards 2025 follows the Vehicle of the Year accolade for the manufacturer’s earlier Enviro200AV autonomous bus at the 2023 edition of the awards.