Singapore trials first driverless EV

Singapore’s first driverless electric vehicle, developed by the country’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has taken to the streets in a test carried out along a two kilometre route. The vehicle can accommodate eight passengers and is able to travel at 20 kilometres per hour. The two-year test project, being carried out jointly by NTU, JTC and Induct Technologies, is the first of its kind in Singapore and aims to develop a vehicle that will replace shuttle buses in the country.
August 20, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Singapore’s first driverless electric vehicle, developed by the country’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has taken to the streets in a test carried out along a two kilometre route. The vehicle can accommodate eight passengers and is able to travel at 20 kilometres per hour.

The two-year test project, being carried out jointly by NTU, JTC and 7149 Induct Technologies, is the first of its kind in Singapore and aims to develop a vehicle that will replace shuttle buses in the country.

The vehicle will be able to safely interact with traffic in Singapore, the developers claim. Software and intelligence systems will be programmed into the vehicle to enable it operate on pre-defined routes. They expect that the new vehicle would be about 30 per cent to 50 per cent less expensive to operate than a normal vehicle.

The joint research team will also oversee the development and testing of various new charging technologies, such as wireless induction and new super capacitors for electric vehicles.

Related Content

  • December 5, 2012
    Reducing congestion with Tomtom's historical traffic data
    Historical traffic data provided by TomTom is being used by the local government in Spain’s Basque region to reduce road congestion at less cost. Old habits die hard. Photos from as far back as the 1930s show people counting cars by the roadside in order to provide congestion data to those running road networks. Today, such techniques are still used, albeit augmented by a range of automation technologies such as inductive loops, infra-red sensors and number plate recognition. Even with these advances, howe
    Read More
  • October 2, 2018
    Shock therapy: jolt for EV charging needed
    As sales of electric vehicles accelerate, the growth of charging infrastructure is in need of a big boost. Graham Anderson reports on whether Europe is up to it. Utilities, technology companies and vehicle manufacturers are battling to put in place new charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs) across Europe in response to a predicted dramatic surge in demand. Market experts believe that rapidly falling battery costs – which make up about one third of the costs of an electric car – and growing
    Read More
  • August 23, 2023
    The inside story of how traffic chaos was avoided after I-95 collapse
    June’s collapse of major US roadway I-95 in Pennsylvania could have caused lengthy traffic chaos. But - relatively speaking at least - it didn’t and gridlock was avoided. Alan Dron finds out why
    Read More
  • January 26, 2012
    Vancouver's metro transport promotes alternatives to driving
    David Crawford looks at Vancouver and the legacy of a Olympic transport success
    Read More

Highlighted Content