Autonomous test vehicle launched by TomTom

Willem Strijbosch, TomTom’s Head of Autonomous Driving, said: “Having our own autonomous vehicle is a critical advantage when it comes to developing the technology required for safe and comfortable autonomous driving. We can continuously test our mapping technology on the roads, get insights and high quality data on how it performs in a multitude of circumstances and, right away, feed this into our AI-driven map-making process.”

Eight laser scanners, stereo cameras and six radars are built into the new vehicle. This extensive sensor set allows for testing of different sensor configurations. They provide a 360° view of the vehicle’s surrounds, and the data from these sensors is processed and referenced against the TomTom HD Map so the vehicle can locate itself precisely.

The TomTom HD Map is a highly accurate and highly attributed representation of the road, including lane models, lane geometry and traffic signs, with accuracy down to a few centimetres. It enables automated vehicles to precisely locate themselves on the road; to build a detailed model of the surrounding environment working together with the vehicle sensors; and to plan a path to the destination.

Recently TomTom announced that it had closed deals with multiple global carmakers to provide its HD Map, which covers Europe, the United States and Asia, securing market leadership in high definition mapping.

Strijbosch continued: “We’re already the natural choice for automakers who want to deploy automated driving systems on a global scale. Now that we can move even faster in our research and product development, we’re further elevating the quality of our offering.”

Visitors to IAA Frankfurt can see the technology that powers the vehicle on the TomTom booth: Hall 8, booth C39.