Committed to developing a green and modern metropolis, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and COAST Autonomous signed today, August 13, the memorandum of agreement for the deployment of autonomous vehicles in New Clark City. The autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles will be used to transport athletes and the riding public during this year’s South East Asian (SEA) Games.
Led by BCDA President and CEO Vince Dizon and COAST Autonomous Chairman and CEO David Hickey, the signing ceremony paves the way for the pilot testing of the low speed autonomous vehicles.
COAST Autonomous will provide three electric Coast P-1 shuttles at no cost to government. The vehicles will arrive in the country for the pilot testing ahead of the SEA Games.
“BCDA and COAST share the same vision for the future: cities must be made more liveable by removing traffic and connecting people with clean mobility options that put pedestrians first,” Hickey said in a previous statement.
Under the agreement, COAST Autonomous will provide and use high-definition and 3D mapping machines to determine the route of each vehicle for it to operate on its own, and transport passengers to and from the Athletes’ Village, the Athletics Stadium and the Aquatics Center.
“COAST Autonomous has developed its vehicles to adapt to the appropriate speed for the environment,” COAST’s Chief Technology Officer Pierre Lefevre said.
“[The] vehicles are not dependent on GPS (global positioning system) and thus can operate in urban canyons created by tall buildings, under tree canopies and even underground or in tunnels. COAST’s technology is highly flexible and makes cities and campuses more walkable. The future mobility should be connected, autonomous, shared and electric,” he added.
Clark will serve as the main hub during this year’s SEA Games with the construction of world-class sports complex in the New Clark City.
There are 56 sports to be played by nearly 10,000 athletes from 11 countries at the biennial event. The 11 countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.