Lightfoot and IAM RoadSmart have been awarded a £1 million grant to support the development of connected vehicles in the UK.

The announcement comes as the two organisations enter their third year of partnership.

Lightfoot is a connected vehicle technology and rewards platform, which has been developed as an alternative to traditional telematics.

It provides real-time visual and verbal feedback in-cab to help improve driver behaviour.

Under the partnership, driver training organisation IAM RoadSmart supports this through a range of coaching and learning methods from in-car training to online modules and apps.

The £1 million grant from the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), is part of CCAV’s mission to support and nurture the development of connected and autonomous vehicle technology, and to harness the opportunity for the UK to be a global leader in this sector. The funding is being delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

Mark Roberts, managing director of Lightfoot, said: “The support we receive from Innovate UK and CCAV is helping us to not only make cleaner, greener and less costly motoring possible for ordinary drivers, but also make it fun, social and attractive.”

Richard Gladman, head of driving standards at IAM RoadSmart, added: “Lightfoot’s innovative technology, coupled with IAM RoadSmart’s human behaviour focused coaching, can help to effectively allow drivers of all ages to experience the benefits of better driving and to be rewarded for doing so”.

Paul Gadd, head of automotive at Innovate UK, added: “What we see with Lightfoot and IAM RoadSmart is exactly the kind of innovative technology development and growth from UK-based companies that we exist to support.

"We hope that this project will help in ensuring a harmonious and safe co-existence of both autonomous vehicles and traditional human-driven vehicles.”

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