Delphi Automotive and Mobileye are teaming up to build a fully autonomous vehicle platform by the end of 2019, the companies announced Tuesday.
The goal is to create an off-the-shelf system that can be plugged into a wide range of vehicles, including small cars, SUVs and pickup trucks.
{mosads}The companies hope to debut the product and begin fleet testing in early 2017.
Mobileye, a leading provider of collision-avoidance and self-driving car technology, and Delphi, an automotive parts manufacturer, are just the latest companies to accelerate self-driving efforts.
Their announcement follows on the heels of Ford unveiling plans to build a fully driverless car for commercial purposes by 2021 and Uber saying it will roll out semi-autonomous vehicles for its fleets in Pittsburgh beginning this month.
“The trend in vehicle automation is driving rapid change in the automotive industry,” Kevin Clark, president and CEO of Delphi, said in a press call with reporters.
“This trend is being driven by several factors, including regulators wanting fewer injuries and fatalities, city planners who want reduced congestion and reduced need for parking, and commuters want less traffic and the ability to more productively use their time during their commute. But getting there is extremely complex.”
Mobileye and Delphi already provide a number of automakers with the software and sensors that enable autonomous driving.
Several car companies, ride-hailing firms and tech giants are forging ahead with their own internal plans to bring self-driving vehicles to market.
“A project of this scale requires as much innovation as possible,” said Amnon Shashua, Mobileye’s chairman and chief technology officer. “Creating multiple attempts to make this technology is a good thing.”
While companies race to deploy driverless vehicles on the roads, federal regulators are still working to craft a national framework for autonomous vehicles.
The Department of Transportation is supposed to release guidance for states on the issue by the end of this summer.