nuTonomy Debuts World’s First Self-Driving Taxi in Singapore

Singapore: Domestic autonomous vehicle software start-up, nuTonomy introduced world’s first self-driving taxis in Singapore on Thursday. The company becomes the first to launch the self-driving concept on the roads in the form of a taxi, which will be available for select members of public to hail free rides by using their smartphones. Many leading brands such as Google and Volvo have been testing the concept of self-driving cars over the past few months.

Initially the company would roll out six cars on the roads. Further, the number of cars is poised to double by the end of 2016. The company officials believe to have a fully self-driving taxi fleet in the country by 2018 as a plan to reduce the number of public cars plying on Singapore roads. Finally, the company plans to offer these services in many cities across the world.

The cars, which include modified versions of Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MEV electrics, are enabled with a driver to take the control of the vehicle under emergency conditions. Additionally, there is a researcher in the car for monitoring the computers.

Every model of self-driving nuTonomy is enabled with six sets of Lidar – a detection system which uses lasers which operate like radar and including one at the roof. Further, two cameras have been fitted on the dashboard for detecting obstacles and changes in traffic lights.

According to a recent report published by TechSci Research, “Global Autonomous Car Technology Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2035 – ADAS, Semi-Autonomous, Fully-Autonomous”, global autonomous car technology market is expected to witness a CAGR of over 10% through 2035. The market is currently dominated by ADAS segment, which is expected to maintain its dominance over the next twenty years as well. The dominance of this segment can be attributed to anticipated increase in government regulations pertaining to integration of ADAS technologies in passenger cars. Further, semi-autonomous car technology is expected to witness robust growth over the next ten years, owing to anticipated decline in its average selling price coupled with rising volume sales. Region-wise, North America has emerged as the largest contributor in the market for autonomous car technology, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East North Africa (MENA).

TechSci Research believes that, by launching the first self-driving taxis in the market, the company is expected to mark their presence in the Global Autonomous market. Following their move, several other leading autonomous carmakers are expected to roll out their models in the coming years.