The Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle (SAMS) project, which took place during the first quarter of 2025, was designed to research, pilot and evaluate the North East’s first autonomous passenger vehicle in Sunderland city centre. The project was led by Sunderland City Council and a consortium of six other public and private partners and backed by the Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and Innovate UK, supported by Zenzic.
Leveraging its experience in deploying autonomous vehicle solutions across a range of sectors, Oxa provided SAMS with an autonomous Ford E-Transit shuttle equipped with its self-driving technology. AND-E'S role - managing the insurance risk in participation with Apollo - was critical as the initiative took place on public roads.
AND-E’s involvement builds on its ongoing collaboration with Oxa, which began in 2021 and includes underwriting Europe’s first deployment of a zero-occupancy, fully autonomous electric vehicle on publicly accessible roads in 2022. This continued partnership underscores AND-E’s leadership in designing innovative insurance solutions tailored to the unique challenges of autonomous vehicle risk.
“The aim of the SAMS project was to explore and demonstrate the potential of autonomous vehicles for safe, efficient and sustainable transport solutions”, explained Phil Norris, Chief Product Innovation Officer at AND-E. “We were, therefore, very excited to be involved in this real-world project, giving us the ability to learn from the experience for future autonomous vehicle developments.
“Much has been written about the proliferation of autonomous mobility and its wider adoption in the next few years. Understanding how this new advance in mobility will change the parameters of underwriting criteria is critical. The insurance industry is built on historical precedent, but there's no historical precedent for the new technologies. Experimentation and innovation are, therefore, key.”
The insurance was tailored specifically for the risks associated with autonomy on open roads and built on the experience AND-E already had working with Oxa on other projects.
“As the mobility marketplace shifts, with advances in new drivetrains and autonomous solutions becoming a reality, the role of adaptable and innovative protection solutions becomes ever-more critical”, added Phil Norris. “Our learnings from this will now be built into future projects as we prepare for wider implementation of autonomous vehicles on UK roads.”
Gavin Jackson, CEO at Oxa, said: “The recent SAMS project showcased the real-world application of self-driving technology on public roads, marking a significant stride in the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles. The initiative underscores the positive impact that autonomous mobility will have on daily life. Collaborations with forward-thinking insurance providers like AND-E are critical in enabling the rollout of greener, safer and more efficient transport solutions.”
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