This partnership accelerates the company’s effort to launch the world’s first commercial AV service in Singapore

Cambridge, MA and Singapore, August 1, 2016—nuTonomy, the leading developer of state-of-the-art software systems for self-driving cars, today announced it has entered into a new partnership with Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) to begin trials of an autonomous mobility-on-demand transportation service. The partnership will expand and accelerate the company’s development efforts in Singapore as it progresses towards the launch of a commercial autonomous vehicle (AV) service in 2018.

nuTonomy is the first, and to date, only private enterprise approved by the Singapore government for the testing of AVs on public roads. The company has been conducting AV tests on a daily basis since April in Singapore’s one-north business district. Under the partnership with LTA, nuTonomy will conduct a program of enhanced trials that will simulate the experience of an autonomous mobility-on-demand service by allowing select users to request, interact with, and ride in a nuTonomy AV. (An illustration of this service can be viewed at http://bit.ly/20qJTZB.)

CEO and co-founder of nuTonomy, Karl Iagnemma, said, “nuTonomy is honored to partner with LTA and we applaud the Singaporean government for its forward thinking and planning. We are committed to Singapore, as demonstrated by the growing team we have here as well as our AV testing program in one-north. This innovative collaboration with LTA will accelerate the pace of change we are bringing to the fundamentals of human transportation by enhancing our ability to deploy a fleet of self-driving vehicles to serve the people of Singapore.”

The multi-faceted R&D partnership between LTA and nuTonomy will allow nuTonomy to advance its trial program, expand its AV fleet, enhance its data collection initiatives, and improve all aspects of the user experience as it prepares to launch a commercial AV service for Singapore residents. At the same time, the partnership will provide LTA with information about the best practices that are necessary for implementing AV-enabled mobility services in Singapore. This partnership with LTA is part of the Singapore Autonomous Vehicle Initiative (SAVI), which oversees and manages AV research, test-bedding, and the development of applications and solutions for Singapore residents by industry partners and stakeholders.

nuTonomy Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Emilio Frazzoli, added, “This strategic partnership with LTA will enable nuTonomy to expand our ongoing testing program on public roads. The feedback we will gather through more extensive trials will be of great value as we continue to develop our AV software system and ready our mobility-on-demand service for deployment across Singapore. Our team in Singapore enjoys a very productive working relationship with the government, and we’re confident that this will extend to our promising new partnership with LTA.”
The company plans to add more than 100 jobs in Singapore as it lays the groundwork for launching its commercial AV service. nuTonomy recently completed a $16M Series A funding that included investment from EDBI, the dedicated corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board. The funding round was led by Highland Capital Partners and included participation from prior investors Fontinalis Partners, Signal Ventures, and Samsung Ventures.
In addition to Singapore, nuTonomy is operating self-driving cars in Michigan and the United Kingdom, where it tests software in partnership with major automotive industry players such as Jaguar Land Rover.

About nuTonomy:

nuTonomy is a leading developer of state-of-the-art software systems for self-driving vehicles founded by two world-renowned experts in robotics and intelligent vehicle technology, Drs. Karl Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli of MIT. nuTonomy is developing the first-of-its-kind complete solution for providing point-to-point mobility via large fleets of autonomous vehicles; this includes software for autonomous vehicle navigation in urban environments, smartphone-based ride-hailing, fleet routing and management, and controlling a vehicle remotely through teleoperation. The company’s software has been tested in the U.S., Singapore, and Europe. For more information about nuTonomy, visit: http://nutonomy.com.

About Singapore Land Transport Authority:

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of Singapore. LTA plans the long-term transport needs of and spearheads land transport developments for our city-state. While serving commuters by providing an integrated and user-friendly transport system, LTA addresses wider issues such as sustainable development, economic growth, and community life. We also work with leading companies to develop innovative transport solutions and making Singapore’s transport system greener, cleaner, and more people-centred. For more information, visit www.lta.gov.sg