Singapore to test self-driving electric-hybrid busesOctober 19, 2016 - 16:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Singapore has signed an agreement to start testing self-driving buses in a small part of the city state. The green buses in action will be electric-hybrid vehicles, with the batteries to be charged flexibly, Detsche Welle reports. Singapore's newest pilot project is a collaboration between the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The agreement between the two sides inked on Wednesday, October 19 came as the city state pushed ahead with its vision of using autonomous technology to help deal with the challenges posed by its limited land and labor. "Current efforts worldwide have been focused on autonomous cars; so this autonomous bus trial is the first of its kind in Singapore that will aim to improve road safety, reduce vehicle congestion, alleviate pollution and address manpower challenges," NTU Chief of Staff Lam Khin Yong said in a statement. The buses to be used for the trial will be electric-hybrid vehicles, which have batteries that will be charged when the opportunity arises, for instance whenever the buses stop at a depot. The self-driving vehicles are expected to ferry commuters between the NTU compound and the nearby Pioneer MRT station. Earlier this week, Singapore said it would also seek information from industry and research institutes on the potential use of self-driving vehicles for street cleaning and refuse collection. In another Singapore district, self-driving cars are being tested. Authorities reported Tuesday that a driverless car collided with a truck when changing lanes. Developer nuTonomy, which started trials of the world's first robo-taxis in August, said it was investigating the accident. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |