ST Engineering to partner BYD as part of consortium bid for autonomous buses

ST ENGINEERING and China electric-vehicle maker BYD have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop autonomous bus platforms, as part of the former's plans to form a consortium in response to the Call for Collaboration (CFC) by the Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Announcing the MOU on Wednesday, ST Engineering said the move expands its land system arm's portfolio of autonomous bus platforms to include BYD's electric buses. The ST Engineering autonomous vehicle kit will be integrated onto the BYD buses and the partners will look at marketing the joint platform internationally.

ST Engineering said it will form a consortium in response to the CFC for the pilot deployment of autonomous buses and shuttles in Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District.

Said president of land systems Lee Shiang Long: "This partnership is the beginning of our quest for the CFC, and we are excited that a leading OEM (original equipment manufacturer) of electric vehicles such as BYD has agreed to be part of our consortium. We continue to explore partnerships with like-minded companies and incorporate their capabilities into a proposal that offers a sustainable and scalable transportation solution for Singapore."

ST Engineering is now conducting intermediate stages of trials for autonomous shuttle and bus services on Sentosa and Jurong Island respectively.

ST Engineering and BYD had previously worked together on the development of ST Engineering's STROBO range of autonomous material handling equipment such as forklifts and pallet trucks.

BYD is one of China's largest privately-owned enterprises and is listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges.

ST Engineering shares closed down three Singapore cents or 0.79 per cent at S$3.76 on Wednesday.