Continental and EasyMile team up for autonomous driving R&D

Automotive giant Continental has signed a deal with autonomous driving specialist EasyMile to create a joint R&D facility in Singapore. The combined team will work on solutions for driverless mobility, focusing on perception and deep learning, to prepare autonomous vehicle (AV) technology for tests. The companies call their memorandum of understanding a “stepping stone in a structured approach to AV testing on public roads in Singapore”. The city-state of Singapore is looking to AVs to improve its trans
November 16, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Automotive giant 260 Continental has signed a deal with autonomous driving specialist 8246 EasyMile to create a
joint R&D facility in Singapore.

The combined team will work on solutions for driverless mobility, focusing on perception and deep learning,
to prepare autonomous vehicle (AV) technology for tests.

The companies call their memorandum of understanding a “stepping stone in a structured approach to AV
testing on public roads in Singapore”.

The city-state of Singapore is looking to AVs to improve its transport system, enhancing first- and last-
mile connectivity between peoples’ homes and nearby public transport nodes.

There is an existing AV test centre in Jurong Innovation District and several ongoing AV trials in the
metropolitan area.

In addition, ComfortDelGro is to test an EasyMile EZ10 autonomous shuttle at the National University of
Singapore’s Kent Ridge Campus, while 609 Volvo Buses has entered a two-year partnership with Nanyang
Technological University to test autonomous electric buses – both beginning early next year.

Singapore has also identified three towns for pilot deployment of AVs for public transport by the early
2020s.

Continental already has around 1,300 staff in Singapore.  “Our Singapore location is one of our largest R&D
locations in Asia already,” says Ralph Lauxmann, the group’s head of systems & technology. “With the joint
autonomous driving R&D team we have expanded the network.”

The companies say their results “can be used as a blueprint for the deployment of driverless systems in

other regions of the world”.

Gilbert Gagnaire, CEO of EasyMile, said the collaboration “is an important step to accelerate the
development of new technology for global markets as well as to benefit of the advance and dynamism of
Singapore’s autonomous driving ecosystem”.

Continental became a minority shareholder in the French company last year. EasyMile is involved in more
than 200 driverless projects in 24 countries. 

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Keolis launches free autonomous shuttle service at French University
    January 4, 2019
    Keolis has launched a free electric autonomous shuttle service at the University of Lille in France which is operating on open public roads for one year. Two Navya shuttles are running on a 1.4km route in Villeneuve d'Ascq, northern France, which includes four dedicated stops from Monday to Friday. These vehicles will also provide connections to two the Cité Scientifique’ and 4 Cantons Stade Pierre Mauroy metro stations. This trial was realised through an agreement with the European Metropole of Lille.
    Read More
  • Continental acquires mobility intelligence provider Quantum Inventions
    August 10, 2017
    Continental has announced of its acquisition of Singapore-based mobility intelligence provider Quantum Inventions. The deal will add to Continental’s growing intelligent transportation systems portfolio with Quantum’s city data including next generation navigation systems that are highly responsive to real-time information such as traffic data, road incident information and dynamic road pricing. Quantum’s solutions are based on its proprietary state-of-the-art data technology platform, which provides connec
    Read More
  • Taking it to the streets
    November 30, 2012
    The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and US Department of Transportation (USDOT) have launched the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The largest connected vehicle test undertaken, and a critical next step in the development of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. The pilot, a $22 million partnership between UMTRI and USDOT, is part of a joint research initiative led by the National Highway Traffic
    Read More
  • UK bus operator to deliver contactless bus travel by end of 2018
    October 25, 2016
    UK bus operator Stagecoach is to deliver contactless bus travel on all of its regional bus services across the UK by the end of 2018, allowing passengers to pay for travel with a contactless credit or debit card, as well as Apple Pay and Android Pay. It will be the first major deployment of contactless technology on Britain's buses outside London and will benefit customers from major urban areas to rural and island communities such as Norfolk in England, Orkney in Scotland and Brecon in Wales. Stageco
    Read More

Highlighted Content