NuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup that’s been testing its technology in Singapore, announced that it had signed an agreement with officials in Boston to bring its self-driving cars to that city’s streets.
NuTonomy said it will begin testing its self-driving Renault Zoe electric vehicles in an industrial park in South Boston later this year. That means that while the cars will be operating in a public area, they’ll still be somewhat removed from normal vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This echoes nuTonomy’s tests in Singapore, where its self-driving cars operate in a 1.5-square-mile section called North 1 that’s been designated by the city-state’s Land Transport Authority as the testbed for self-driving cars.
From Singapore to Boston
In a statement, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh praised the agreement as one that will enable his city to join the ranks of those playing host to what many consider to be the future of transportation. “Boston is ready to lead the charge on self-driving vehicles, and I am committed to ensuring autonomous vehicles will benefit Boston’s residents,” Walsh said. “This is an exciting step forward, and together with our public and private partners, we will continue to lead the way in creating a safe, reliable and equitable mobility plan for Boston’s residents.”
The nuTonomy team in Boston
This represents a bit of a homecoming for nuTonomy, which was spun out from MIT in 2013 but has only been testing its self-driving cars overseas. “Testing our self-driving cars so near to nuTonomy’s home is the next step towards our ultimate goal: deployment of a safe, efficient, fully autonomous mobility-on-demand transportation service,” nuTonomy CEO Karl Iagnemma said in a statement.