The U.K. town of Milton Keynes isn't waiting for Google or General Motors to bring autonomous cars to the masses. Instead, it's enlisting a fleet of 100 self-driving pods to run between the city's central train station, shopping center, and office parks beginning in 2015.
The autonomous pods will carry two passengers, plus shopping bags, luggage, or a baby stroller, and will travel up to 12 mph in dedicated lanes inside the city.
The first 100 pods are set to take to the streets in 2015 as part of a £65 million infrastructure investment by Milton Keynes, with a full roll-out of the pods coming in 2017, when passengers will pay £2 per trip and summon their rides through a smartphone app.
The pods -- similar to those used at Heathrow airport since 2011 -- will be fully electric, with motors mounted at each wheel and charging handled by an inductive system set up along the route.
Like Google, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz' autonomous vehicles, the pods will use a combination of GPS, sensors, and high-definition stereo cameras to navigate the city and avoid pedestrians, but according to the Daily Mail, the initial plan is to have specific lanes for the vehicles and a joystick to control the pod if something goes awry.
However, the town's pub crawlers should take note that during the first tests, passengers will be responsible for the vehicle during the ride, so loading up on a few pints before heading back to the train station isn't allowed.
