DRIVERLESS CARS – THE PODS
(SAROOSH BIN FARASAT, KARACHI)
In the automated versions,
passengers travelling to their selected destination will be able to browse the
internet, check emails, read the newspaper and play games inside the pod. The
cost of each journey has not yet been decided.
If successful, they could be used in other towns and cities across the UK, the
government said.
By 2050, very few - if any - new cars will be powered solely by the traditional
internal combustion engines, so it is important that the UK car industry is at
the cutting edge of low carbon technologies.
Driverless cars will be tested for the first time in a UK town after £1.5m was
made available from the government.
The "pods", which will travel at 12mph (19km/h), will ferry people around Milton
Keynes on designated pathways.
Twenty driver-operated vehicles will be running by 2015, but it is hoped 100
fully automated versions will be introduced by 2017.
Similar pods currently operate at Heathrow Airport.
It forms part of a £75m government scheme to enable businesses to make and test
low carbon technologies, which it says will keep the UK at the forefront of
engine design and help to safeguard up to 30,000 jobs in engine production.
The electric-powered pods can be booked via a smartphone app and will be able to
accommodate two passengers