Delphi, Singapore LTA plan to launch self-driving vehicles

Delphi Automotive has partnered with Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) to rolling out a small test by providing a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles and developing a cloud-based mobility-on-demand software (AMoD) suite. Delphi claims to be the first to conduct an experiment of urban, point-to-point, low-speed, autonomous, mobility-on-demand service in Singapore’s Autonomous Vehicles Test Bed located at one-north, a business park in the western area of the city. According to a report in Forbes, the vehicle technology side of the trial program will run from 2017 through 2019. The Singapore LTA states that it is focusing on automating driving solutions to make it hassle free for travelers who are transiting the “first mile” and “last mile” between a mass transit station and their home or workplace. Thus, they have taken this test into consideration by making more use of mass transit systems which will result in reducing the overall traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. If this test reaps good results, the vehicles are projected to run without human backup, as self-driving vehicles. Kevin Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer, Delphi said:

We are honored to partner with the Singapore LTA on advancing innovative mobility systems, which will put Singapore at the forefront of autonomous vehicle adoption. This is a great recognition of Delphi’s leadership in advanced safety technologies, automated software, systems integration, as well as our ability to drive these mobility solutions forward for our customers.

With its AMoD development program and autonomous vehicle demonstration which is a part of Singapore Autonomous Vehicle Initiative (SAVI), Delphi will develop new products and capabilities to serve its global customers. It will supervise autonomous vehicle (AV), test-bedding, and the development of applications and solutions by industry partners and stakeholders.

Vehicle automation isn’t the future. It’s already here. #selfdriving https://t.co/Xo2kCilZwF pic.twitter.com/cr1veGTz5r

— Aptiv (@Aptiv) July 28, 2016

Today, many automotive companies are trying to shift their focus on the concept of driverless cars, for instance, Uber, a mobile application based transportation network that connects passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire, has invested $500 million into an ambitious global mapping project to wean itself off dependence on Google Maps and pave the way for driverless cars, reports Reuters. Similarly, according to a report in Bloomberg, Mobileye will team up with BMW AG and Intel to deliver fully-autonomous cars by 2021. Jeff Owens, Chief Technology Officer, Delphi stated, “As a partner in SAVI, Delphi will use a foundation of the same vehicle technologies that enabled us to successfully complete the first coast-to-coast autonomous drive of the United States in 2015. Developing a cloud-based software servicing capability integrated with the vehicle creates an end-to-end solution that will eventually allow our existing, and many potential new customers, the ability to enter emerging mobility markets.” Delphi claims that it will be offering existing customers mobility and connectivity, logistics, agriculture and mining for its automated vehicle ecosystem which includes a cloud-servicing capability and opens a host of new business opportunities. According to Delphi, its technology solution is “vehicle agnostic”, which means it can be applied to passenger cars, buses, commercial vehicles, purpose-built mobility pods and electric vehicles. AVs provide the opportunity to facilitate efficient urban and suburban vehicle sharing, autonomous bus or taxi services, logistics and long-distance truck platooning.  

#Selfdriving mobility on demand could provide commuters a seamless first/last mile transportation experience. @LTAsg pic.twitter.com/wLeG6KYLco

— Aptiv (@Aptiv) August 1, 2016