World’s first “robo-taxi” rolls out in Singapore

Commercial service may start in 2018.

Singaporeans in the city-state’s one-north business district are invited to hop in the world’s first public utility self-driving car as autonomous vehicle (AV) developer nuTonomy launched the initial public trial of its “robo-taxis.”

According to nuTonomy, select residents will get to try the ride-hailing smartphone app to book a free ride either in a Renault Zoe or Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicle that has been configured for autonomous driving. A nuTonomy engineer will join the passengers inside the vehicle to observe system performance and assume control if the need arises.

The self-driving vehicle employs a sophisticated software integrated with high-performance sensing and computing components. It was May this year when nuTonomy completed its $16 million Series A funding to accelerate the delivery of this software.

nuTonomy has been conducting daily AV trials since April this year and has partnered with the Land Transport Authority to accelerate the development of the technology.

“nuTonomy’s first-in-the-world public trial is a direct reflection of the level of maturity that we have achieved with our AV software system. The trial represents an extraordinary opportunity to collect feedback from riders in a real-world setting, and this feedback will give nuTonomy a unique advantage as we work toward deployment of a self-driving vehicle fleet in 2018,” said nuTonomy CEO Karl Iagnemma.

Throughout the trial, nuTonomy will collect and evaluate valuable data related to software system performance, vehicle routing efficiency, the vehicle booking process, and the overall passenger experience, the company said.

Gathered data will enable nuTonomy to refine its software in preparation for the launch of a widely-available commercial robo-taxi service in Singapore in 2018, it added.