The Smart Mobility Living Lab (SMLL) is a London-based real-world connected environment for testing and developing future transport and mobility solutions. Located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, the testbed provides a complex uncontrolled testing environment that interacts with live traffic and other road users.
SMLL is operated by a consortium including TRL (the Transport Research Laboratory), DG Cities, and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). The lab's services are built around three integrated pillars: Test, Simulate, and Innovate, with a full range of transport technical consultancy.
The testbed is specifically designed to demonstrate and evaluate the use, performance, environmental impact, safety, and benefits of connected and automated mobility (CAM) technology and future transport services. Its network of roadside sensors and data processing suite creates a cooperative infrastructure environment that can send real-time data to connected and autonomous vehicles, enabling them to 'see around corners' and improve situational awareness.
SMLL has been instrumental in several landmark UK autonomous vehicle programmes, including the GATEway Project — the UK's largest autonomous vehicle trial, which saw 1,500 members of the public use a hop-on, hop-off service of autonomous pods along a 5km route in Greenwich. The lab also supported the ServCity project with Nissan, testing connected autonomous vehicles built on the electric Nissan LEAF platform.
London's challenging layout and transport systems make it representative of most urban environments worldwide. SMLL positions the UK as a leader in connected and automated mobility research, attracting customers from around the globe to test, develop, and deploy CAV solutions. The lab is supported by full fibre infrastructure enabling high-bandwidth data transmission essential for real-time autonomous vehicle operations.