Yay or nay?
On May 11, FPT Group submitted a permission request to the Ministry of Transport for the ministry's approval on the pilot of their autonomous car in high-tech parks.
According to VnExpress, the Ministry of Transport recently announced that it supports FPT's plan as it aligns with the country's Industry 4.0 visions. FPT was then instructed to seek permission from the management board of the high-tech parks and be responsible for traffic security during the test drive.
According to FPT CEO Pham Minh Tuan, the company started its self-driving car technology venture in 2016 by establishing the FPT Global Automotive (FGA) department focusing on developing automotive applications and software. The department's main foci are self-driving car technology, safety system, and entertainment system.
After a year of developing its self-driving technology, titled Automotive Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on the Kia Soul, in October 2017, the group introduced its first autonomous car and did a test drive in the company complex.
FPT's self-driving system is currently at Level 2 in the autonomous driving classification system laid out by the Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) — a US-based engineer association for standards development. Level 2 of autonomous driving means that the system will be fully in charge of the vehicle, yet partial assistance from one or two drivers is needed to intervene any time the system does not respond.
The autonomous vehicle has an average speed of 20-25 kilometers per hour. On straight lanes, its speed can reach up to 40 kilometers per hour. The car can adjust following distances, avoid obstacles, steer according to street lanes, and brake. It also underwent 1,000 hours of self-driving without any error or mishap.
Have a look at the autonomous car in the video below:
[Photo via FPT]
