Could the next driverless car in Singapore be a Peugeot? Highly likely, considering the French carmakers’ parent company, PSA Group, has partnered with tech firm nuTonomy to test self-driving cars here. nuTonomy collaborated with Grab last year, and were the first to trial driverless taxis in the One North area. They’re now scaling up their technology on a larger fleet of vehicles.
PSA is beginning development on “level 5” autonomous vehicles which do not require driver input, and will be installing nuTonomy’s software, sensors and computing platforms in Peugeot 3008 models. The partnership will help to expand their studies on autonomous vehicle mobility performance.
According to a spokesperson from PSA, autonomous driving in urban areas requires a more radical approach to vehicle design especially when it comes to software and sensors. Hence, Singapore remains a choice destination for the trials, as it provides plenty of opportunity for the cars to navigate inner city obstacles.
The trials will also be a way for PSA to learn more about the components within autonomous cars, and the availability of suppliers. After the initial round of testing, the companies will consider expanding their on-road AV testing initiative to other major cities.
At the rate we’re going, driverless cars could become a part of daily life much sooner than we think.
This story originally appeared on Stuff Singapore, bringing you what’s next in the world of tech and gadgets, with a twist.
