Around two-thirds of the world’s population live in a country where cars drive on the right-hand side, including mainland Europe, the USA and China. These present different situational challenges and road markings to countries like the UK, Australia and Japan, which drive on the left.
Having completed numerous trials on the left-hand side of the road in the UK, including on the complex streets of London, autonomous vehicles (AV) software provider Oxbotica has mastered driving on the right-hand side of the road on public roads after being granted AV permit recommendation by TÜV SÜD to conduct live trials in Germany.
It is the first time a UK-based automated vehicle company has gained an AV permit recommendation from the independent inspection body TÜV SÜD to begin trials on public roads in urban and rural areas in southern Germany.
“Our AV-permit provides a neutral and independent third-party assessment process for the development of safe and secure automated mobility,” said Christian Pahlke, head of software & system at TÜV SÜD Highly Automated Driving. “Oxbotica’s automated driving software has proven itself capable of passing our demanding safety assessment framework, successfully completing physical real-world tests and scenario-based simulations.”
The German AV permit means Oxbotica’s automated vehicle software has now proved itself capable of following the rules of the road and driving on the right in real-world conditions.
The official trials started last month on public roads near Friedrichshafen, with a fleet of vehicles successfully navigating a complex urban environment. To gain the AV permit recommendation, Oxbotica had to meet a rigorous assessment framework including detailed hazard analysis and the combination of physical real-world tests and scenario-based simulations.
Ozgur Tohumcu, CEO at Oxbotica, noted that the landmark TÜV SÜD AV permit recommendation in Germany allows the company to test in one of the world’s leading automotive markets, helping accelerate future deployments both in the region and globally.
“Our ability to understand and adapt to the rules of the road for driving both on the left and right-hand side of the road provides a fast route to market for our autonomous vehicle software. It also paves the way to take our autonomous driving software internationally through the ongoing commercial engagements with our partners,” he said.
The validation testing brings Oxbotica another step closer towards the international commercial deployment of its autonomous software stack on urban and rural roads. The trials are helping the company to accelerate the development of its leading autonomous driving software.
