Hyundai Motor chooses Singapore as testbed for smart mobility

[Photo provided by Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group is basing Singapore as its test bed for self-driving cars and other future mobility amid restricted access at home due to regulations.

The South Korean auto giant on Wednesday said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore’s industrial and business park Jurong Innovation District to set up overseas open innovation lab dubbed Hyundai Motor Global Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) in partnership with Singapore’s JTC, a government agency under Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, spearheading smart city projects.

Under the partnership with JTC, Hyundai Motor Group will carry out research projects related to smart cities in Singapore. For the Jurong Innovation District, it aims to study traffic rise and population growth and calculate future transportation demand to find out best mobility service for EVs and autonomous driving.

JTC plans to provide various data including the district’s traffic, transportation status, plan for its land use, geographic information system and population for Hyundai Motor Group to better support the project.

Hyundai Motor Group will start its study first in Bulim, situated in the western manufacturing belt, and then focus on follow-up projects. It is planning to discuss road design and related regulatory moves with Singapore as well.

“The group expects this project to serve as a stepping stone for future smart city projects in Singapore, and hopes this transport modelling and subsequent projects become a model for private innovation and government policy working in tandem,” said Chi Young-cho, president and chief innovation officer of Hyundai Motor Group.

JTC CEO Tan Boon Khai also welcomed the partnership, saying “We are always on the lookout for innovative solutions which can give us insights into how better to design and masterplan the next generation of Singapore’s industrial estates and ecosystems. Through such testbeds working with partners here, we hope to develop smart mobility models and guidelines that can ultimately benefit JTC’s future smart estates.”

Hyundai Motor Group’s HMGICS, which is due to be completed by the end of this year, is the group’s open innovation hub to spearhead its efforts to revolutionize mobility of people and goods, support advancement in smart city projects and develop next-gen manufacturing platform. Local universities, startups and research institutes are providing support for the construction.

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