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Asia has been moving forward rapidly with its
efforts to develop driverless cars and street
networks as well. From Singapore to Shanghai to
Tokyo, these countries are ahead of the curve when
it comes to driverless technology.
Although legislation regarding the testing of self-
driving cars on public roads has been restrictive
and complex within the European Union to date,
road testing of autonomous vehicles is still taking
place with several countries making incremental
progress on the driverless front.
EUROPE
ASIA
HELSINKI,
FINLAND:
Versions of
a driverless bus, the
Easymile EZ-10, recently
roamed suburban
Helsinki during a
month-long trial.
LONDON:
Nissan trialled autonomous
technology in London this
spring, using three LEAF
electric cars. The GATEway
project is trialing autonomous
pods on the Greenwich
Peninsula; and Volvo is
assessing a proposal to trial
level 4 (high automation)
technology as part of their
‘Drive Me London’
program.
PARIS:
Self-driving buses were
recently tested in Paris
with the goal of having
autonomous buses
parked near overland
train stations to shuttle
travelers to and from
their suburban
homes.
GOTHENBURG,
SWEDEN:
Volvo plans to
test 100 driverless cars in
2017 with testing limited
to certified roads, weather
limitations, no traffic lights,
no pedestrians and no
bicycles allowed.
SHANGHAI:
This city created a
100-square-kilometer
closed course for testing of
autonomous vehicles called
the National Intelligent
Connected Vehicle Pilot Zone.
Shanghai has ambitious goals,
which include becoming a
hub of 10,000 driverless
vehicles by 2020.
TOKYO:
In addition to doing trials
with a modified Lexus GS
autonomous vehicle on
Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway,
Japanese leaders are
working to outfit Tokyo for
the 2020 Olympic Summer
Games with a self-driving
vehicle force.
SINGAPORE:
MIT-based NuTonomy has
launched a self-driving taxi
service in a 2.5 square mile
area, while Delphi has an
on-demand ride service
on a dedicated test route,
featuring six self-driving
Audi SQ5s.
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