Continental and EasyMile launch new autonomous driving R&D team in Singapore

A joint R&D team from Continental and EasyMile will begin work on solutions for driverless mobility in Singapore.

The new joint team’s focus will be to develop new technology centred on perception and deep learning and to prepare autonomous vehicle (AV) technology for tests towards safe deployment on private grounds and public roads in the Singaporean metropolitan area.

With a regulatory sandbox for AVs in place, Singapore has the flexibility to quickly adjust its regulatory framework to support the fast pace of development of AV technology while safeguarding public safety.

Autonomous systems feature prominently in its plans to improve the transport system in Singapore. AVs, in particular, are seen to have the potential to enhance first and last mile connectivity between peoples’ homes and nearby public transport nodes.

In order to move the field forward, Singapore is engaging in intensive dialogue with leading industrial companies to develop driverless solutions as soon as possible to complement and maintain efficient urban mobility.

“Our Singapore location is already one of our largest R&D locations in Asia. Its position is strategic as Singapore is one of Asia’s four tigers, and an important financial and trade centre”, says Ralph Lauxmann, head of Systems & Technology at Continental.

“With the joint autonomous driving R&D team we have expanded the network of our Automated Driving project house to another important location.

“Together with EasyMile, we are proud to contribute to the Singapore Smart City Initiative. The results can also be used as a blueprint for the deployment of driverless systems in other regions of the world,” he added.

Gilbert Gagnaire, CEO of Toulouse, France-based EasyMile SAS, said: “The Continental and EasyMile joint R&D team in Singapore is an important step to accelerate the development of new technology for global markets as well as to benefit the advance and dynamism of Singapore’s autonomous driving ecosystem to further test our products.”