how will we travel

Agenda

09:00 - 10:00 (UK - GMT) / 13:00 - 14:00 (UAE - GST) 

how will we travel in a safe and sustainable way?

Speakers include:
Keynote: Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport, Department for Transport
Chair: Paul Stein, CTO, Rolls Royce PLC
Panellists:
- Keith Richards, Chair, Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC)
- Michael Talbot, Deputy Head, Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
- Michael Cervenka, President, Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd
- Matt Williamson, VP Blue Hydrogen, BP

The Secretary of State for Transport - Grant Shapps, delivered a keynote discussing how the UK is a leader in safe and sustainable transport, as home to world-class research and development opportunities, as well as world leading regulative bodies. Panellists celebrated how its autonomous industry can help get the country and the world moving again following the global pandemic, citing the UK’s lead in managing safe navigation. They also discussed how the UK is well-positioned to capitalise on the opportunity to generate autonomous technology jobs in the country.

Watch this Keynote here

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10:00 - 11:00 (UK - GMT) / 14:00 - 15:00 (UAE - GST) 

CHANGE IN THE AIR - POWERING OUR FUTURE AND PROTECTING THE PLANET

Speakers include:
Chair: Jonathan Spear, Policy and Strategy Advisor (Transportation) for Atkins Acuity and Chairman of CIHT
Panellists:
- Hugo Spowers, Technical Director and Founder, Riversimple Movement 
- Jo Bamford, Executive Chairman, Ryze Hydrogen and Wrightbus
- Will Goldsmith, Head of Commercial & Grid Services, EV Energy
- John Irvine, Professor, St Andrews University 
- Naeem Faroqi, Global Technical Director for Zero Emission Mobility, Wood PLC

This session debated the future type of fuels we will need to power travel and transport electric and hydrogen. There is a ‘change in the air’ as climate activism leads to a greater awareness of climate change and the need for sustainable development. New digital tools are emerging to encourage consumers to choose sustainable alternatives – from carbon footprint calculators that provide greener alternatives, to a credit card that measures and caps consumers’ spending based on their CO2 emissions. Panellists discussed a number of fuels and generation methods that the UK is leading development on. They shared their thoughts on the winning modes of transportation and the longer-term challenges faced – such as the need for longer battery life, faster recharging, energy storage, and zero-emission propulsion systems using hydrogen or alternative sources. 

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12:00 - 13:00 (UK - GMT) / 16:00 - 17:00 (UAE - GST) 

how can autonomous technology deliver safe, Efficient and sustainable transport?

Speakers include:
Chair: Chris Kirby, CEO & Founder, Tomorrow's Journey
Panellists:
- Professor Adele Marshall, ‎Professor of Statistics, Queen’s University Belfast 
- Gary Cutts, ISCF Future Flight Challenge Director, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) 
- Professor Paul Newman, CTO, Oxbotica (Department for Transport) 
- Robert Llewellyn, Owner, Fully Charged Show 

This session considered the three spaces for autonomous travel – air/space, land/on the ground, and at sea (surface and subsea). Panellists focused on the question of how autonomous technologies will impact evolving transportation systems, our social world, and individuals who live within it. Discussions covered arguments on whether such systems ought to be fully automated, or if they should remain under some form of direct human control. Speakers discussed how mobility itself would change as independent operational vehicles evolve, the challenges and relevant UK research programmes supporting this area. Finally, experts shared their insights on areas to prioritise in order to deliver a safer more efficient and sustainable transport infrastructure. 

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whose space is it anyway? keeping everyone safe

Speakers include:
Chair: Alison Young, Global Export and Investment Specialist, Connected Places Catapult

Panellists:
- James Fanshawe, Chairman, Maritime UK Autonomous Systems Regulatory Working Group UK (MASRWG)
- David Tait, Head of Innovation, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) 
- Professor Lucy Budd, Professor of Air Transport Management, De Montfort University
- Will Whitehorn, President, UK Space
- Andrew Jenkins, Director, Arity

This panel conversation looked at how the air traffic control system will deal with flying vehicles low medium and high altitude. Who will manage spaceroutes and things like GPS?Will we need roads for vehicles that can go along the ground over ground and under water? How will we tackle the cybersecurity risk of connected autonomous vehicles? A selection of questions were debated by the panel to show that the UK is at the forefront of planning the legal and regulatory framework for the future of travel. There are huge challenges around planning and ownership of space such as when it comes to operating in international vs national waters and at various altitudes. Do we need a single body to manage all of the space humankind is using today and in the future?

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