1.   Enterprise Singapore has published a set of provisional national standards to guide the industry in the development and deployment of fully autonomous vehicles¹ (AVs). Known as TR 68, Technical Reference 68 will promote the safe deployment of fully autonomous vehicles in Singapore.

2.   TR 68 was developed over the past year under the purview of the Singapore Standards Council’s (SSC’s) Manufacturing Standards Committee². An industry-led effort, four working groups comprising representatives from the AV industry, research institutions, institutes of higher learning and government agencies developed standards covering four key areas of AV deployment: vehicle behaviour, vehicle functional safety, cybersecurity, and data formats. Overseas experts were also consulted during the development process. These efforts were supported by the SSC, Land Transport Authority, and Singapore Manufacturing Federation-Standards Development Organisation (SMF-SDO).

3.   As a provisional standard, TR 68 will continue to undergo refinement as AV technology matures, with feedback from the industry. The feedback gathered will be used to review TR 68 as it is eventually expanded to cover other aspects of AV development and deployment.

4.   Mr Loh Ngai Seng, Permanent Secretary for Transport and Chairman of the Committee on Autonomous Road Transport for Singapore (CARTS), thanked the TR 68 working groups and agencies involved for achieving this significant milestone. He said, “The joint development of TR 68 reflects the close collaboration between the AV industry and Government as well as research institutions and institutes of higher learning. As we work together with the industry to prepare for the pilot deployment of autonomous vehicles in Punggol, Tengah and Jurong Innovation District in the early 2020s, we hope that TR 68 will guide AV industry players in the safe and effective deployment of AVs in Singapore.”

5.   Ms Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General, Quality and Excellence Group, Enterprise Singapore said, “In addition to safety, TR 68 provides a strong foundation that will ensure interoperability of data and cybersecurity that are necessary for the deployment of AVs in an urban environment. The TR 68 will also help to build up the AV ecosystem including startups and SMEs as well as Testing, Inspection and Certification service providers. As AV technology is new, it is encouraging to see local and international experts from the industry, government agencies and academia working together to develop this technical reference together with the SSC, Enterprise Singapore and LTA. This robust industry partnership is critical in developing other standards to support Smart Nation projects in Singapore and also for supporting future smart city projects in the ASEAN region.”

6.   Mr Tan Nai Kwan, Chief Robotics Engineer and Vice President, Robotics Business Group, Singapore Technologies Engineering Land Systems Ltd said, “TR 68 is much welcomed by the industry as it provides autonomous vehicle developers like ST Engineering with clear guidelines that are benchmarked against international standards. This will ensure a smooth transition from the development to the operationalisation of autonomous vehicles in Singapore.”

7.   Mr Doug Parker, Chief Operating Officer of Aptiv Autonomous Mobility said, “We are happy to have contributed to creating TR 68 as it will facilitate the commercialisation of autonomous vehicles in Singapore.”

8.   Mr Douglas Foo, President of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) said, “As a partner in nation building, the SMF is pleased to be a key partner in the development of this set of Technical References through the SMF-SDO. Being a strong believer in the adoption of technological advancement, the SMF remains committed to the cause and looks forward to further opportunities in continuing to be a key driver for standards creation on a national level.”

9.   The SMF-SDO will be scheduling a workshop to help the industry understand and implement TR 68 effectively. TR 68 can be purchased from the Singapore Standards eShop at www.singaporestandardseshop.sg.

^[1] These refer to SAE Level 4 and 5 AVs, as classified under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) levels of automation. At SAE Levels 0-2, the human driver is still required to actively monitor and perform driving tasks. At SAE Level 3, the human driver is no longer required to actively monitor the driving environment in some limited driving scenarios e.g. highway driving, but is still required to intervene. At SAE Level 4, the vehicle is fully autonomous in limited driving scenarios. At SAE Level 5, the vehicle is fully autonomous in all driving scenarios.

^[2] The Manufacturing Standards Committee (MSC) is one of the Standards Committees of the Singapore Standards Council set up by Enterprise Singapore, the national standards body.