PSA Group and nuTonomy to test autonomous vehicles in Singapore

The PSA Group and nuTonomy, the developer of state-of-the-art software for self-driving cars, have  announced a strategic partnership under which nuTonomy will integrate its sophisticated software system into customised Peugeot 3008 SUVs for on-road testing of fully autonomous cars in Singapore.  

Under the initial phase of the partnership, nuTonomy will install its software, along with specialised sensors and computing platforms, into Peugeot 3008 SUVs that have been customised by PSA’s innovation teams. nuTonomy expects to complete the integration of its autonomous vehicle (AV) system this year, with on-road testing of the self-driving 3008s beginning in Singapore in September. 

Seamless integration of AV software with vehicle hardware is viewed by both companies as a critical step toward deploying driverless cars at scale, over extended life cycles. This partnership provides an opportunity for both companies to study autonomous vehicle system performance, as well as the end-to-end user experience of an on-demand AV mobility service in urban use cases. 

The collaboration, which is being implemented under the Groupe PSA’s ‘Autonomous Vehicle for All’ (AVA) program, will bring to market on-demand mobility solutions offering full autonomy.

Anne Laliron, Head of the Business Lab, Groupe PSA, said, “This collaboration is a significant step towards fully autonomous vehicles, which will enable us to offer different mobility solutions to our customers. We are excited to work together with nuTonomy’s team of software and robotics experts to make the concept of self-driving PSA cars more and more concrete.” 

Karl Lagnemma, CEO and co-founder of nuTonomy, said, “We’re confident that working with Groupe PSA will bring us closer to our goal of deploying a safe, efficient, fully autonomous mobility-on-demand transportation service for urban driving environments. We look forward to future collaboration opportunities with PSA.”

Following the initial phase of this partnership, the companies will consider expanding their on-road AV testing initiative to other major cities around the world. Groupe PSA’s Business Lab and Innovation Division are launching this collaboration to identify and evaluate new business opportunities, particularly in the Mobility and Digital fields. 

nuTonomy has been conducting public trials of an on-demand AV mobility service in Singapore since August 2016. The partnership with Groupe PSA expands nuTonomy’s test fleet, which operates in one-north, the AV test bed designated by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA). Singapore actively supports the development of new mobility solutions, as it seeks to embrace a growing population while maximising the efficient use of infrastructure. nuTonomy’s founders and the LTA have been R&D partners in the development of commercial AV services since 2010.