Singapore’s AV startups go beyond driverless cars

For most, the words “autonomous vehicle” (AV) may bring driverless cars or robotaxis to mind. However, these are only part of the bigger picture in the industry.

While we previously explored some of the roadblocks in Singapore’s driverless car space, AVs have been making strides in areas other than transporting humans on four wheels.

Photo credit: neiezhmakov / 123RF

The city-state isn’t a top international contender in AV readiness, but with its status as the world’s smartest city in 2021, the scope of autonomous tech in the country has become much bigger – and both public and private bodies are cashing in.

Beyond driverless cars

Singapore startup MooVita has been making vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving technology since 2016. Its software can be programmed for multiple types of platforms, such as buses, sedans, trucks, agricultural vehicles, and indoor robots for last-mile delivery.

Public transport vehicles like buses are particularly suited for autonomous technology because several factors of their journey are controlled: Buses have their own lanes, do not speed, and run between a pre-defined point A and point B.

“The regulations [for public transport] are usually mandated and controlled by one body – either the government or the fleet owners. [These measures] may increase public trust and acceptance, which in turn would make the switch to robotaxis much smoother,” Ken Chan, vice president of business development at MooVita, tells Tech in Asia.

ST Engineering and Volvo have also tested their driverless buses in Singapore in the past two years. In 2021, the former piloted its driverless road sweepers to clean up the city-state’s streets at night. Typically operating during off-peak hours and with safety drivers on board, the electric road cleaners were tested in three AV-cleared areas: One North, Nanyang Technological University, and Jurong.

A logistics play for AVs could also be profitable for the industry. Imagine warehouses or ports where humans do not have to be present and where these automated machines can run with minimal risk.

Last month, the city-state funneled US$40 billion into building an automated megaport – which would feature drones and driverless shipping vehicles – by 2040.

Additionally, Singapore-based Venti Technologies signed a deal last year with the country’s port authority to supply automated movers for shipping containers.

Similarly, another Singapore firm, XSquare, developed a proprietary AI stack of autonomous technologies for warehouse forklifts and an intelligent warehousing system.

Alternative applications for AVs, such as the logistics use cases mentioned above, have become more attractive to investors and founders alike.

“You’re able to test systems and capabilities without actual human passengers. That helps you test quicker and get more data and information, so you know how each of your systems is working,” Elev8.vc’s Aditya Mathur tells Tech in Asia. “It helps accelerate the process for [testing] consumer vehicles.”

AV firms that spark VC interest

Smart cars, smarter cities