Singapore has launched the world’s first self-driving taxi service.
The self-driving taxi service in Singapore is the result of startup nuTonomy’s work in the field. The startup was created by two MIT researchers and it seeks to develop self-driving technology. The service in Singapore is currently only a test of the feature.
Being that the Singapore self-driving taxis are only a test, they still have drivers in them. However, these drivers are really only there to monitor the cars and take control if something goes wrong. The test includes six vehicles that are taking passengers to different parts of the city.
NuTonomy has facilities in the United States and Singapore. The country approved the test earlier this year. It is also one of the best areas to test the self-driving taxis due to the populace high usage of those types of services. Renault and Mitsubishi electric vehicles that have been equipped with nuTonomy’s tech are being used in the test, reports BBC News.
NuTonomy isn’t the only company interested in a self-driving taxi service. Uber recently agreed to a deal with Volvo that will have the two developing self-driving cars. The ride-hailing service will also be testing self-driving SUVs for Volvo later this month in Pittsburgh.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has also been working on self-driving features and already has an Autopilot option for drivers. However, the feature has resulted in some controversy following a couple of crashes. The company argues that it isn’t meant to be as a self-driving feature. TSLA CEO Elon Musk thinks self-driving cars will be ready by 2020.
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