By Dr Rana Charara, strategic marketing leader, automotive and IoT at Trimble

The UK has begun to signal its move towards more self-driving, with autonomous cars set to be on the roads as early as 2026, according to Transport Secretary Mark Harper. 

Although this may be an optimistic aim, the technology itself is far more capable than we think; other elements, such as other road users, the infrastructure, legal responsibilities, the Highway Code, and market conditions are the main barriers to increasing autonomy right now.

It won’t be simple, but if developed with care, caution and consistency, more self-driving on UK roads promises to decrease the number of accidents and increase fuel and route efficiency.

In turn, improved safety will reduce insurance and reinsurance costs from their current high (as they’ve increased by 14% year-on-year).

Fleet managers therefore stand to gain, and due to the amount of reliable capital the industry possesses, they can help shape how we approach autonomy.

However, business fleets should expect to be patient, ask for no shortcuts, and require that autonomous vehicles take a maximalist approach to data and sensors.

Humans learn to drive with many hours of practice, but machines will need many more miles, under more conditions, than their human counterparts.

In doing so, they will collect the data they need while proving to a cautious public that autonomy means safety.

The autonomy scale

Something we must remember when discussing autonomous cars is that it is a scale - not an absolute.

Level one autonomy includes some driver assistance, such as cruise control, and level two has other elements automated, including hands-free driving.

In levels three and above, the machines must become capable of basic environmental awareness and detection - something that’s currently well within technological capability.

Moving to level 4 is the step that requires more extensive changes due to the increased uncertainty and dynamism of the environments the autonomy is available for.

To reach this level, some infrastructure may need to be re-designed, legal responsibilities and the highway code totally revamped, and cities made smarter and perhaps even digitally connected. No easy feat.

The technology at the heart of autonomy

The key to autonomy is data; as much data from as many sensors as possible. This is for several reasons - as multiple layers of redundancy are needed in case one fails (for example, if connectivity drops), and because these systems are a form of artificial intelligence.

The more high-quality data that’s put in, the better, more reliable, the output.

A key element of autonomy is the use of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) - the umbrella term for constellations of global positioning satellites, which when combined, give a precise, triangulated position.

The atomic clock on a fourth satellite constellation corrects the internal clocks in the sensors and devices to keep time.

These signals have inherent inaccuracies due to signal distortion between the satellites and the receiver. So correction services are needed to take accuracy from a few metres to a few centimetres. This works by using a dynamic but known location, delivered via radio or internet signals such as L-Band or IP, to correct the GNSS signals for where the user is located.

Using this correction technology alongside other sensors enables precise positioning to the nearest centimetre, with multiple levels of redundancy should one sensor fail.

This improves the safety of that journey, and by correcting map data and other sensors while on the move, the autonomous system becomes exponentially more accurate.

The next key part is inertial navigation. This is done via GNSS, IMU and a host of other sources including wheel odometry (rotary sensors that measure the distance a wheel has travelled via how many times it has revolved), standard cameras, and proximity sensors. This is all used alongside industry-grade mapping data stored within the vehicle, which is updated in real-time by the car's precise position.

It is essential that each component is agnostic. Software needs to work with any hardware, and vice versa, which allows any vehicle manufacturer to use the best quality tech rather than only what fits or what they’ve produced in-house - maximising speed to market and value for money. The latter is particularly important.

Any unnecessary cost barriers should be removed to ensure the best quality, and therefore safest tech is used - as there is a clear relationship between a sensor’s quality and its cost.

Building trust in autonomy

Assuming the law is fair, consistent, and up to date; industries regulated; and certifications, standards, and licences properly established and achieved by manufacturers and tech vendors, this impressive list of technology allows us to reliably and safely increase the level of autonomy in cars.

However, a 2024 study shows 66% of Americans surveyed said they are afraid of self-driving vehicles, 25% said they are unsure about such technologies, and just 9% said they trust vehicles that can drive themselves.

The only way to overcome general scepticism is to show that self-driving helps provide a safer driving experience; after all, accidents on UK roads currently kill five people a day due to human error.

To achieve this feat, autonomous vehicles need to drive many more miles under many more circumstances; building both public confidence and stores of specific training data.

As with electric cars, business fleets should lead this charge. The benefits for doing so could be significant - promising increased driving efficiency, fuel economy, and road safety, and therefore reduced insurance and reinsurance costs.