While you don’t often hear of tests for self-driving vehicles taking place within our country or even within our region, it turns out that one is about to start sometime soon. Taking place down south, Volvo Buses and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore recently has revealed a full-size autonomous electric bus that will be tested later this year.
Volvo’s self-driving bus reportedly measures 12 meters in length and can carry up to 80 passengers. The company also claims that it is the first full-size, self-driving bus in the world.
The first set of tests will be carried out within the university campus and is scheduled to begin “in a few weeks or months,”. Pending regulatory approvals, the self-driving bus will also be tested on public roads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rrmS58tzIk
Reuters reports that Singapore hopes to deploy autonomous buses on public roads in three different districts from 2022. The country also happens to be ranked at No. 2 globally in an index assessing countries’ openness and preparedness for autonomous vehicles.
(Source: Reuters. Image: The Straits Times)
