Darwin Autonomous Shuttle

On 27 March, the Satellite Applications Catapult launched the UK Autonomous and Connected Earth (UK-ACE) Connected Capability Network (CCN). Darwin was delighted to attend the kick-off, which took place at the Catapult’s headquarters at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

The 2024 ABI Conference, organised by the Association of British Insurers, was held on 27 February. This annual event is a chance for insurers to network and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the insurance industry.

Darwin was at the conference to introduce our new autonomous shuttle, the second vehicle to be added to the existing Darwin Autonomous Shuttle service, in collaboration with Aviva, the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency and the University of Salford. We’re sharing data from the service with Aviva to help them develop insurance products for self-driving vehicles.

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.

On 28 February 2024, Darwin was honoured and delighted to welcome Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia to our UK headquarters, six months after our own visit to him at Serbia’s White Palace. The prince and his son Alexander paid a visit to Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, where they learnt about the campus and Darwin’s work there.

The Darwin Autonomous Shuttle, a self-driving passenger service, has been carrying people around Harwell Science and Innovation Campus for over two years now. Run by Darwin Innovation Group with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and UK Space Agency, the shuttle service helps to demonstrate the real-world viability of autonomous public transportation.