SCALE 2 Autonomous Shuttle Project Builds on Successful Trials to Secure UK Government Funding

SOLIHULL, 29th JULY, 2025 – THE SUCCESSFUL trial of a public self-driving shuttle service in Solihull is set to be extended.

The SCALE project, which began public trials in March 2025, is one of eight projects to have received funding from the UK Government-funded Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder – Enhancements programme.

The programme is funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), a joint unit between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Transport (DfT), delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.

The projects are part of the £150million CAM Pathfinder programme announced in the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, which aims to address the complexities in commercialising CAM solutions, to support and grow the UK’s CAM supply chain and ready the market for CAM services, enhancing both investment and export opportunities.

Each of the projects – including SCALE 2 – has already conducted work supported by UK Government, with this additional funding set to help the consortiums behind each project further develop and demonstrate their commerciality.

SCALE 2 will build on the success of the initial SCALE project, which saw the three-strong fleet of self-driving shuttles carry passengers from the NEC to the adjacent parking area, by extending the service to cover a 7km route linking passengers from Birmingham International rail station and the NEC campus to Birmingham Business Park which hosts up to 10,000 visitors a day.

The pioneering project – which is a first of its kind in the UK – is being delivered by a consortium led by Solihull Council, including both WMG at the University of Warwick and Coventry University, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the NEC, Coventry City Council and automated vehicle simulation specialists IPG and dRISK.

Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Planning, said: “Our CAM shuttle trial has already delivered hugely valuable real-world insight into how automated vehicles can safely operate in busy, public settings. It’s been a landmark initiative for Solihull Council and our consortium partners and an encouraging glimpse of what future transport could look like.

“With the expansion into a more complex route, we’re entering an exciting next chapter. This phase will further deepen our understanding and move us one step closer to a future where safer, smarter and more sustainable transport is an everyday reality.”

Zenzic was created by government and industry to champion the UK Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) ecosystem and lead the UK in accelerating the self-driving revolution.

Mark Cracknell, Programme Director at Zenzic, said: “We’re delighted to announce the SCALE 2 project as one of the eight exciting CAM Pathfinder – Enhancements projects taking place across the UK.

“The deployment of Connected and Automated Mobility solutions holds incredible promise – enhancing accessibility, reducing emissions, and fostering a transport network that is both reliable and inclusive. The SCALE 2 project will serve as a fantastic showcase of these benefits.

“We are looking forward to working with the project consortia as they further develop their work, and showcase their technology, and help to cement CAM as an industry of the future.”

About the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV):

CCAV is a joint policy unit of the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). CCAV leads the way in shaping and delivering the UK government’s policies on connected and autonomous vehicles, ensuring that the UK remains at the cutting edge of this transformative technology.

 

About Zenzic:

Zenzic was established by government and industry to champion the UK Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) ecosystem. As a collaborative organisation, Zenzic strives to place the UK at the forefront of the global CAM revolution by promoting innovation and enabling UK organisations to make significant contributions to the future of mobility.

About Innovate UK
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. Our mission is to help companies to grow through their development and commercialisation of new products,

processes and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive and easy to navigate.

Solihull Council

Solihull Council heads up the regional consortium delivering SCALE. Linked to its wider ‘future mobility’ project, Solihull Council is already playing a key role in the study and deployment of CAV technology on our roads. In 2021 it became the first local authority in the country to purchase its own autonomous shuttle, delivering a series of successful pathfinder deployments at Birmingham Airport, the NEC and Birmingham Business Park. Drawing on their expertise in this sector, Solihull Council will assume the role of overall project management and lead on communication and stakeholder management, as well as overseeing infrastructure installation.

Coventry City Council

Coventry City Council will support SCALE through service design development, looking at future CAM service and business case development. It will also act as the 5G Trial co-ordinator for the project. Coventry City Council has an established track record of working in collaboration with neighbouring Solihull Council to deliver a range of successful cross area services and initiatives, and is a fellow constituent authority of the WMCA (West Midlands Combined Authority). 

Coventry University

One of the Midlands’ leading higher education providers with a strong reputation built within the aerospace & aviation, automotive, architecture and healthcare sectors.

Coventry University will lead on real world automotive testing and analysis of the vehicles at its state-of-the-art MIRA CAV testing facility. The University team will look at cyber security and resistance to malware and malicious interference as well as Human Machine Interface analysis & testing and Human factors analysis in terms of human performance when operating the Lift vehicle.

dRISK

dRISK design tests for Autonomous vehicles. Working with insurers, manufacturers, policy makers and software partners to develop the future of autonomous vehicle development. They will be responsible for providing data and intelligent analysis to shape the simulation testing and real-world deployment of the vehicles.

IPG

Based in Solihull, IPG are a simulation and testing specialist for the Automotive industry. IPG specialise in creating virtual environments and testing vehicle operation and durability in a simulated world. IPG can run hundreds of thousands of iterative tests to understand vehicle behaviour in an unlimited number of scenarios. With input from Ohmio, d(RISK) and WMG they will be putting the Ohmio vehicle through tens of thousands of simulated tests using cutting edge computer programming and AI. Their work helps the consortium to understand how the vehicle (both physically and operationally) will behave in every conceivable condition and scenario. This then informs the project – from safety planning right the way through to component durability.

NEC Group

NEC Birmingham, with over 2.3 million visitors per year, will play host to the SCALE project. As well as hosting a key section of the deployment and providing storage for the vehicles, NEC Group will use the opportunity to enhance its knowledge of autonomous vehicle deployment within its operation. This will help inform future deployment options.

Ohmio

Ohmio is a New Zealand based autonomous vehicle manufacturer and is represented in the UK by its subsidiary company Ohmio UK. Ohmio is a sister business of HMI Technologies. The SCALE fleet will consist of three Ohmio ‘Lift’ vehicles. The Lift is Ohmio’s flagship autonomous shuttle capable of carrying up to 14 passengers. It is a completely modular and flexible autonomous platform with systems that can be added or removed based on its intended deployment. Ohmio Lift is a complete Level 4+ autonomous shuttle solution.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM)

Transport for West Midlands is the public body responsible for co-ordinating transport services in the West Midlands metropolitan county in England. It is an executive body of the West Midlands Combined Authority, with bus franchising and highway management powers. TfWM will lead on customer experience insight and development (Insight led), ticketing and human machine Interface, Operational Delivery post-Ohmio handover, NEC driver supply and service delivery and play the key role of service operator after handover.

WMG – The University of Warwick

WMG is an academic department of the University of Warwick and is a leading international role model for successful collaboration between academia and the public/private sectors, driving innovation in science, technology, and engineering.

WMG will be supporting the safety assurance of the SCALE Operational Safety Case, development and analysis of the testing plan and will provide internal project support and expertise in the areas of hazard analysis, vehicle testing and operational safety.

 

Media contact:

Bryce Wilcock, Account Director, Creo Comms

M: 0787 933 9244   |   T: 0191 562 3134

E: bryce@creocomms.co.uk