HORIBA MIRA and TIER IV have partnered for a collaborative project that aims to accelerate both the development and deployment of autonomous driving technology across the United Kingdom and Europe.
The collaboration will see HORIBA MIRA provide access to its facilities and engineering resources, whilst TIER IV will focus on the expansion of its autonomous driving technologies and vehicle deployment throughout both regions.
The first initiative to be carried out as part of the new collaboration will be the deployment of an autonomous bus project on HORIBA MIRA’s own Proving Ground, which will aim to both explore and demonstrate Level 4 autonomous operation over the next several years at the company’s MIRA Tech Park —one of Europe’s largest and most advanced hubs for mobility research and development.
HORIBA MIRA will also contribute its facilities and engineering experience to ensure safety validation and compliance with local regulatory and operational requirements, enabling the localisation and implementation of autonomous buses. Meanwhile, TIER IV will provide a suite of software and hardware solutions, including its autonomous driving system, Level 4-compliant electric minibus “Minibus 2.0,” advanced sensor packages, and tailored operational support.
Alastair Evanson, Head of Business Development and Commercial Operations, said:At HORIBA MIRA, we’ve made significant investments in autonomous vehicle technologies over the past several years to help enable safe and scalable deployment across Europe.
Collaborating with TIER IV on this project is a natural extension of our commitment to supporting innovation in the sector, and we’re pleased to provide the engineering and testing expertise needed to help localize their technology for European environments.
The initiative aims to utilise TIER IV’s experience with the deployment of Level 4 autonomous vehicles across Japan, wherein which its autonomous driving systems have thus far been utilised in a number of applications such as off-road dump trucks and factory logistics vehicles.
TIER IV COO Ko Miyoshi said:We are delighted to join forces with HORIBA MIRA to accelerate the deployment of autonomous driving technologies across the UK and Europe.
By combining our advanced platforms with HORIBA MIRA’s world-leading engineering and validation expertise, we aim to accelerate the realization of safe, reliable, and sustainable mobility solutions tailored to local needs. This collaboration marks an important step toward our shared vision of making autonomous driving accessible to all.
