Resolutely Autonomous

The taxi equipped by nuTonomy in Singapore still has an entirely normal steering wheel – but soon it’s not expected to need one. (© nuTonomy)

The Number of Roads and Cars Is Not Expected to Increase

It should be no surprise that pilot projects with autonomous vehicles are underway or are at least planned worldwide – by companies ranging from Uber to a Google sibling all the way to Volvo. German brands are also extremely active in the field and are setting global records for the number of patent submissions relating to autonomous driving. But until the systems are authorized for real-life use, there are basic issues to clarify, above all legal ones. The interaction with cars controlled by human beings at rush hour could also be a challenge for the robotic technology of self-driving cars.

Singapore’s special conditions have led it to deal with autonomous driving in concrete ways. Roads and lanes account for about 12 percent of the country’s terrain; that figure is not supposed to rise in this city-state of 6 million inhabitants. One means of control is to keep additional cars off the road. While the government has already boosted the expense of car ownership enormously, it has also decided to freeze the number of registered vehicles next year. Anyone wishing to register a new car must wait for an old car to be deregistered, limiting the total to 600,000 vehicles. In any case, just 15 percent of the residents have their own car; the rest rely on local public transportation. Still, in this sphere, a problem is looming in this highly industrialized country: it has a noticeable shortage of drivers and service technicians.

Politicians Are Pointing the Way

It is Singapore’s assertive governmental policy that is aiding the introduction of autonomous driving. At its independence in 1965, the country began to bet heavily on education, services and globalization. Its leaders tied limitations on political rights to the economic concessions that it made to its populace. If the leaders are convinced of the value of an innovation, they will support it energetically and pursue its introduction with determination. For the pilot project involving self-driving taxis, they loosened bureaucratic barriers and created targeted incentives, not least of all, because autonomous driving seems to be made for short inner-city routes and the “last mile” on the way to the Metro. That means the city-state cannot just cease its efforts after the pilot project with the white subcompacts. In the not-so-distant future, autonomous driving is expected to be a normal sight on the streets of Singapore.

A complete report on the pilot project in Singapore can be found in the latest edition of our customer magazine ESSENTIAL.