Delphi provide key to autonomous vehicle trials in Singapore

The programme of testing is being coordinated by the country’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) and will take place in One-North, Singapore’s R&D cluster. It will feature a fleet of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) from Delphi and locally-based autonomous operator nuTonomy.

According to the LTA, the SDVs will be used primarily for the first and last mile of travel, bringing people to and from their homes as they connect with the wider transport system. Commuters will be able to summon air-conditioned pods using their smartphones, then travel autonomously to their destinations. It is hoped the trial will also lead to increased mobility for the elderly.

“LTA has been facilitating self-driving vehicle trials with single-vehicle prototypes in one-north since 2014,” said Chew Men Leong, LTA's chief executive.

“We are excited about the role that fleets of shared SDVs can play in our transport system and are pleased to collaborate with Delphi Automotive Systems and nuTonomy to test and develop meaningful point-to-point mobility solutions that would benefit commuters.”

During trials in the US last year, an Audi SQ5 prototype using Delphi technology completed a coast-to-coast drive from San Francisco to New York with 99 per cent autonomy. In Singapore, Delphi will provide five SDVs initially, with the potential to scale up the operation to include self-driving shuttle services that can serve an entire town. According to the automotive giant, its autonomous solution is vehicle agnostic and can be applied in passenger cars, buses, commercial vehicles, purpose-built mobility pods and electric vehicles.

“We are honoured to partner with the Singapore LTA on advancing innovative mobility systems, which will put Singapore at the forefront of autonomous vehicle adoption,” said Kevin Clark, Delphi’s president and CEO.