Driverless cars are cool, but they aren’t going to save the planet on their own. Following the announcement that the UK is investing millions in developing driverless technologies, I wrote the following letter which was published in the press the same day as the STA award ceremony we attended in Brussels.

As the director of the TEV (Tracked Electric Vehicles) Project, a Scotland-based social enterprise designing the roads of the future for electric transport, I’m excited to hear the news of £20 million investment in driverless technology.

While driverless cars can get efficiency gains, it’s mostly from getting closer to the car in front than human drivers can. Many driverless cars, including Google cars which I’ve seen in operation, maintain a greater distance on normal roads than a human driver would, meaning those roads actually lose capacity.

Driverless cars on our TEV highway can convoy closely in complete safety at high speeds because the road is designed for that type of travel. TEV also powers electric and hybrid cars as they drive, addressing environmental issues.

The online version is posted here