Groupe PSA has formed a strategic partnership with nuTonomy to begin testing fully autonomous vehicles in Singapore.
The multiphase plans calls for nuTonomy to kick off the partnership by installing sensors and other related equipment into specially prepared Peugeot 3008 crossovers which have been “customized by PSA’s innovation teams.” nuTonomy expects this process will be completed in the summer so road tests are scheduled to begin in September.
nuTonomy is being billed as the “leading developer of state-of-the-art software for self-driving cars” and PSA is excited about the partnership as the company believes the seamless integration of autonomous vehicle software is a “critical step toward deploying driverless cars at scale, over extended life cycles.” The tie-up will also allow both companies to study the system’s performance as well as the user experience of an on-demand autonomous vehicle mobility service.
Following the initial testing phase in Singapore, PSA and nuTonomy will consider conducting additional tests in other major cities.
In a statement, PSA’s Anne Laliron said, “This collaboration is a significant step towards fully autonomous vehicles, which will enable us to offer different mobility solutions to our customers.” She added, “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.”
nuTonomy isn’t exactly a household name but the company has been testing an autonomous vehicle taxi service in Singapore since August of 2016.