Report on future regulatory requirements for PODS, Deliverable 4.1.7 of the Capri project

The aim of the Capri project is to deliver a pilot scheme for the use of automated and connected passenger transport ‘pods on demand’ (PODs) as a mobility service in ‘campus’ locations such as airports, hospitals, business parks, shopping and tourist centres. These areas may be entirely privately owned or comprise elements of both off-road and public highway usage. Four trials have taken place during the Capri project; the first in an off road site closed to the public, two further on private off-road land that are open to the public, and the fourth trial operating as dual mode with the pod demonstrating use in public areas both off-road and on a privately owned road. Future use cases and development will aim to operate on public highways in addition to private ones. A vehicle running on the public highway has to be approved for such use and must comply with the range of legislation controlling the construction of vehicles for public road use and their subsequent usage on the roads. Overall, one of the key project aims is to assess how the vehicles can be designed and operated safely in compliance with all relevant regulation, in the short term, for the purposes of the trials, and in the longer term to support a commercial environment where vehicles can be manufacture-ready and sold in substantial volumes both nationally and internationally. The first aim of this deliverable is to provide an overview of current legislation that relates to the approval for use of pod style vehicles on public roads and to examine how closely the Capri pod complies with it. The second aim is to look to the future and examine options for design or regulatory change that will enable pod style vehicles to be type approved (necessary for dual purpose or on-road pods) while still ensuring safety. The authors would also like to acknowledge the comprehensive review of regulation related to automated vehicles that is currently being undertaken by the Law Commission. This report does not seek to replicate this review but will draw on relevant aspects where appropriate. Furthermore, the authors note that discussions regarding regulation of automated vehicles are developing rapidly, therefore this report intends only to capture the most accurate information available at the time of writing and does not guarantee future accuracy.