Siemens Taiwan is collaborating with Taiwanese partners to conduct field trials for autonomous vehicles by the end of this year, as the German company aims to increase its foothold in the nation’s smart transportation sector.
“Our colleagues are working with a local partner on an autonomous driving project,” Siemens Taiwan president and chief executive officer Erdal Elver said at a media briefing in Taipei on Tuesday.
Elver declined to provide details about the project, as discussions are continuing on a facility to test self-driving vehicles.
Photo: Lisa Wang, Taipei Times
Siemens would help build the infrastructure and provide software solutions in collaboration with various local companies and the government, the company said.
An autonomous testing facility usually includes roads with traffic signals and intersections, where automakers, suppliers and technology companies can test their vehicles and equipment before deploying to public roads.
Such a facility is also helpful for companies to test software, sensors, traffic data ingestion and security systems for driverless vehicles.
Siemens hopes to bring its Aimsun solution — traffic simulation and large-scale testing of path-planning algorithms for autonomous vehicles — to Taiwan, Elver said.
About 5,500 users in 85 nations would be using the Aimsun solution this year, he said, adding that Taiwan is not currently among the adopters.
Apart from autonomous vehicles, Siemens is also looking at business opportunities in the electric bus sector, Elver said.
The company is hoping to introduce its high-power pantograph chargers for electric buses, which have been used in several European nations, such as Denmark, Sweden and Germany.
It takes only four to 10 minutes for an electric bus to be fully charged using the chargers, Siemens said.
The company is also in discussions with a German automaker to supply electric charging solutions for sedans in Taiwan, Elver said.
Siemens is also involved in various smart city and smart building projects, including the Guangci Public Housing project in Taipei’s Xinyi (信義) District in cooperation with Far EasTone Telecommunication Co (遠傳電信), as well as a land development project in Nangang (南港) District run by Taiwan Fertilizer Co (台肥).
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