Singapore’s Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) and Chinese EV maker BYD have signed a joint laboratory agreement to develop electric vehicles with autonomous vehicle sensors. The joint lab will create a drive-by-wire system using electronic controls to control brakes, steering and other systems, as well as an autonomous vehicle fleet management system that can dynamically allocate AV resources based on real-time location information.

I2R, Singapore’s largest information and communication management research institute, will implement its autonomous vehicle sensory system in a test fleet of over 100 EVs. The data collected will be used for the AV systems to learn situational awareness in the context of Singapore traffic rules and road conditions, and to make intelligent judgments based on predicted and typical responses of drivers. The goal is to enable the driverless system to coexist seamlessly, predictably and safely with human-driven vehicles in the future.

“With I2R’s expertise in autonomous vehicle technologies, BYD’s vast experience in electric vehicles and strong support from the relevant Singapore authorities, we hope to benefit the transport industry in Singapore and countries all over the world,” said Dr. Lee Shiang Long, Executive Director of I2R.

“Intelligent cars will be one of the most important directions for the transportation industry in the future. We believe that a new energy vehicle embedded with autonomous driving technologies will provide drivers with a completely different driving experience,” said Liu Xueliang, General Manager of BYD’s Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Group.

Source: Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research via Green Car Congress
Image: Julian Walker/Flickr