nuTonomy and Groupe PSA have announced a strategic partnership to develop self-driving cars.
The software developer will integrate its products into customised Peugeot 3008 SUVs for on-road testing of fully autonomous cars in Singapore.
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Under the initial phase of the partnership, nuTonomy will install its software, along with specialised sensors and computing platforms, into 3008s that have been developed by PSA's innovation teams. nuTonomy expects to complete the integration of its autonomous vehicle (AV) system this summer, with road testing of the self-driving vehicles beginning in Singapore in September.
Seamless integration of AV software with vehicle hardware is viewed by both companies as a critical step toward deploying driverless cars at scale, over extended life cycles. The partnership provides an opportunity for both companies to study autonomous vehicle system performance, as well as the end to end user experience of an on demand AV mobility service in urban use cases.
The collaboration bolsters Groupe PSA's ambition of becoming the preferred mobility provider for customers worldwide, under its strategic plan, Push to Pass, announced in April 2016.
Anne Laliron, head of the business lab, Groupe PSA, said: "This collaboration is a significant step towards fully autonomous vehicles, which will enable us to offer different mobility solutions to our customers. We are excited to work together with nuTonomy's team of software and robotics experts to make the concept of self-driving PSA cars more and more concrete."
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By GlobalDataKarl Iagnemma, chief executive and Co-founder of nuTonomy, added: "We're confident that working with Groupe PSA will bring us closer to our goal of deploying a safe, efficient, fully autonomous mobility-on-demand transportation service for urban driving environments."
Following the initial phase of the partnership, the companies will consider expanding on-road AV testing to other major cities around the world. Groupe PSA's business lab and innovation division is identifying and evaluating new business opportunities, particularly in the mobility and digital fields.
nuTonomy has been conducting public trials of an on-demand AV mobility service in Singapore since August 2016. The partnership with Groupe PSA expands its test fleet, which operates in one north, the AV test bed designated by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA). Singapore actively supports the development of new mobility solutions, as it seeks to embrace a growing population while maximizing the efficient use of infrastructure. nuTonomy's founders and the LTA have been research and development partners in the development of commercial AV services since 2010.
