Intelligent self-driving cars got a step closer to hitting the UK’s streets on Monday as Wayve, the UK’s biggest autonomous driving technology company, names its new VP of product and delivery. 

Simone Fabris has joined the European leader in driverless vehicle software, tasked with heading up the development and delivery of its ‘Embodied AI’ technology.  

Fabris, who has spent 15 years in automotive safety, will oversee the delivery of the software product that the company claims “equips machines with the intelligence necessary to learn from and interact with their environment”, a key step towards large-scale commercialisation of self-driving vehicles. 

“The pursuit of autonomous driving is one of the most profound technological challenges of our time—one that demands continuous discovery, learning, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” Fabris said. 

“Wayve’s groundbreaking technology is setting a new industry standard, and I look forward to helping deliver its first production stack for the next generation of automated driving systems.” 

Before joining Wayve, Fabris played a key role in developing the Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF), an international standard addressing the safety of automated cars. 

“Simone is a leading expert in automotive safety, and we are delighted to have him join Wayve as VP of Product and Delivery,” said co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall. 

“His vision and expertise in developing automotive-grade products will be key to successfully launching our cutting-edge autonomous driving technology into consumer vehicles.” 

Founded in 2017, the London-based software company became Britain’s most valuable AI firm when a $1.05bn investment led by SoftBank valued it at $3bn. 

Though generative AI company ElevenLabs took the valuation crown after a $250m Series C left it with a $3.2bn, Wayve remains one of the UK’s most prominent artificial intelligence businesses. 

Oxa, another prominent player in British autonomous driving backed by Google, has already launched a handful of commercial projects in the form of shuttle services in Florida and Belfast. 

The UK government has said it aims for self-driving cars to be deployed on UK roads as early as 2026, following the passing of the Autonomous Vehicles Act. 

Though the government expects the industry to be a major economic driver, high development costs make it a tricky business for startups to survive in. 

This week it was revealed that West Midlands-based self-driving car startup Conigital had appointed liquidators in a voluntary winding down of its business. 

The company in 2023 claimed to have secured £500m in funding, however, a UKTN investigation revealed doubts over the money’s existence. 

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