Skip to main content

TomTom and Volkswagen partner on automated driving

TomTom and Volkswagen Group Research have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces for the development of highly automated driving (HAD) systems. Their aim is to jointly develop the digital map that is essential for automated driving by combining TomTom’s expertise in map content and map making with Volkswagen’s know-how of the car and automated driving. The map that is used today for navigation, including geometry, street names, and addressing, is not sufficient for the future needs of a
October 3, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
1692 TomTom and 994 Volkswagen Group Research have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces for the development of highly automated driving (HAD) systems.

Their aim is to jointly develop the digital map that is essential for automated driving by combining TomTom’s expertise in map content and map making with Volkswagen’s know-how of the car and automated driving.

The map that is used today for navigation, including geometry, street names, and addressing, is not sufficient for the future needs of automated driving. The car’s computer will require much more accurate and up-to-date information about its location and environment than is provided today. This includes for example more detailed information lane markings and traffic lights.

TomTom and Volkswagen Research are working on a concept based on the navigation data standard (NDS) to deliver scalable and cost effective automated driving systems that do not require expensive hardware.

“Partnering with Volkswagen Group Research to develop the future of HAD reaffirms TomTom’s position as a key partner in the automotive market,” said Harold Goddijn, CEO of TomTom. “TomTom’s mapping expertise provides the precise data and scalable technology platform needed to enable highly automated driving in cars.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Utilities giant boosts customer service with TomTom fleet technology
    November 6, 2012
    UK gas infrastructure specialist Forefront Utilities has invested in TomTom fleet management to improve customer service and fuel efficiency. The company has deployed a combined tracking and fuel management system to provide greater visibility of its mobile workforce and reduce costs across its 164-strong vehicle fleet. TomTom’s Webfleet online fleet management system provides managers with full visibility of a company’s mobile workforce, with live HD Traffic information enabling them to route drivers to c
  • NavFusion provides map updates via a smart phone app
    November 28, 2013
    A new app that connects a vehicle’s systems to the internet opens up a range of possibilities as Jon Masters discovers. Sometimes the most straightforward or simple of ideas can be the most significant. So it seems with the latest development from Hungarian navigation software supplier NNG. The company’s software features in-vehicle infotainment systems and has launched NavFusion – which connects a vehicles’ sat nav programs to smartphones. NavFusion is being incorporated into NNG’s iGO navigation s
  • Young people want to stay connected in the car of the future
    June 20, 2012
    Johnson Controls has announced the results of a survey of some 2,800 young people in Germany, Great Britain, China, and the US, to find out what ‘digital natives’ expect from the car of the future. Approximately 2800 young people were surveyed in Germany, Great Britain, China and the United States. Their key desire: to stay connected to the digital world while driving, too.
  • Global toll revenues $8.5bn while technology ‘battles’ continue
    April 9, 2014
    ABI Research’s Dominique Bonte talks to Jason Barnes about trends in tolling and how a wider appreciation of technology options is sorely needed. Global Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) solution revenues will grow to $8.5bn by 2018, with ETC becoming a main source of funding for both Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and Vehicle-to-X (V2X) cooperative infrastructures, according to a new report from ABI Research (Chart 1). But, says the report’s author, ABI Research vice president and practice director Dom