Do automated vehicle trials test society? Testing mobility futures in the West Midlands

Do automated vehicle (AV) trials in everyday environments like urban streets constitute social tests? This article answers this question with a firm no and yes, based on field study of automated mobility testbeds in the United Kingdom, with a focus on the West Midlands. Engaging with the social studies of testing and automobility futures research, this article examines how AV tests in real-world settings do double duty as tests of society, even as they are marked by social deficits. I develop this analysis by juxtaposing two very different perspectives on automated mobility testing, those of 1) UK AV experts, and 2) residents, artists and researchers who live or work in the West Midlands Future Mobility testbed. I develop two claims. First, I show how real-world testing of automated vehicles remains vehicle-centric, to the point that testing for social aspects for some experts is only conceivable in a simulator. Second, through participatory listening walks I show how AV testing in society raises significant challenges for local communities in the absence of demonstrable benefits in the present. I conclude that the testbed in question does not currently enable the exploration of societal mobility futures, but fieldwork in this environment can help us understand what this would take.