Singapore takes the lead in launching self-driving taxis. Operated by nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software company, the world’s first ever self-driving taxis will be available to passengers from this week.
nuTonomy is the first to offer self-driving rides to the public though the race has been on for several years now with big names like Google, Volvo and Tesla (among others) testing autonomous vehicles on the road.
The self-driving taxis in Singapore are on a trial run starting with six cars. The objective is to eventually have a fully autonomous taxi fleet in Singapore by the year 2018. It is expected that the move will lessen the number of cars on roads by almost 66%.
The 6 taxis will operate in a 6.5 sq km area in the “One-North” district. Selected passengers will be given a chance to order a self-driving taxi from their smartphones.
The vehicles are modified Renault ZOE and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars. They are fitted with 6 sets of a radar detection system called Lidar, which help the vehicle to navigate effectively. A driver will be present at all times to take over control of the vehicle along with a researcher, who will be monitoring the car’s technical data logs.