announcements

In late 2021, insurer Aviva and autonomous vehicle operator Darwin Innovation Group partnered to launch the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle, the longest-running self-driving passenger service in the UK. Now, after two years of operation, Aviva and Darwin have teamed up with the University of Salford to add a second self-driving shuttle to the service.

Our partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) has been crucial to our work at Darwin, enabling projects like the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle and our ubiquitous communications technology. ESA’s Directorate for Telecommunications and Integrated Applications (TIA) has now published a white paper about the connected car of the future, and we’re delighted to have played a role in the paper’s creation.

‘Darwin the Shuttle Runs Away’, the children’s book based on the Darwin Autonomous Shuttle, has now been released in Spanish!

‘Darwin se escapa’ is a picture book aimed at children between four and eight years old. It tells the story of a lively but insecure self-driving vehicle called Darwin, who, afraid of being driven, runs away to start a new life as a bus. The original text was written in English by Harriet Evans and has been translated into Spanish by Leticia García.

Darwin Innovation Group, a company specialising in ubiquitous connectivity and software development for autonomous vehicles, has established a strategic collaboration with global IT services company Cognizant. The relationship aims to broaden the reach of the autonomous vehicle market by introducing new vehicle management tools and reliable vehicle connectivity, making use of both 5G and satellite communications.

The Darwin Autonomous Shuttle service began in late 2021, making it the longest-running autonomous passenger service in the UK. Throughout the service, the shuttle has been looked after by Darwin’s trained and dedicated safety operators. Darwin’s operators have now expanded their range of expertise by completing their training to operate Iseauto, a self-driving shuttle developed by Auve Tech.

Auve is an Estonian developer of self-driving vehicles, and its shuttles have already been deployed in countries such as Finland and Greece. Its modern, compact autonomous shuttle will be operated alongside the existing Darwin Autonomous Shuttle at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.