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Brexit Britain Aims for Competitive Edge on Self-Driving Car Market

UK’s leading politicians are already planning their strategy after Brexit, and it involves a heavy focus on technology. One aspect of it that has just received funding is self-driving cars, with automotive minister Richard Harrington being convinced that Britain can become a direct competitor to the US in a matter of years.
Brexit Britain Aims for Competitive Edge on Self-Driving Car Market 4 photos
Oxbotica's leading program to test self-driven carsOxbotica's leading program to test self-driven carsOxbotica's leading program to test self-driven cars
EU regulations make the self-driving car testing process very slow, and here’s where the UK could have the upper hand after Brexit. This is what Harrington is counting on, so he’s OK-ed an initial investment of £25 million (approximately $33 million) in as many as 6 separate projects whose aim is to put driverless cars into production and, ultimately, on the roads.

It's a very exciting thing, we want to provide the right environment for people to come to this country and invest,” Harrington said, as cited by Automotive News Europe. Speaking of having a competitive advantage in the field of autonomous vehicles, the minister added, “One thing that I think I would go with for this country is the strength of the universities.”

Speaking of universities, Oxbotica, an extension of the prestigious Oxford University, is one of the receivers of the grants. It is also leading a £13 million (approximately $17 million) project to put a fleet of self-driven cars on the roads between London and Oxford.

The driverless car market is estimated to reach a worth of £907 billion (approximately $1.2 trillion) by 2035 and the UK believes it can go head to head with the current biggest player, the US. China too has started making serious investments in this area, but Harrington is convinced that, as of this moment, the UK has the advantage.

That may very well be the case, Nigel Parker, partner at Allen & Overy LLP, explains to the publication. “This could end up being one of those areas where the government spots an opportunity to make a successful Brexit. There's an advantage to being able to set your own laws, but equally there's a disadvantage in not being aligned with the rest of Europe,” Parker says.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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