German universities to develop autonomous car

Seven German universities have teamed up to develop an autonomous e-car, competing with automakers and tech giants such as Google and Apple, reports Spiegel Online. RWTH Aachen University – which already developed the successful Streetscooter delivery van for the German postal service, and the small city car e.Go – and six other universities, as well as industry partners, aim to develop a “new disruptive, modular and agile vehicle architecture and platform”, including a prototype for an autonomous family taxi, according to a press release. The four-year project UNICARagil is funded by the federal government.

Read the article in German here and the press release in German here.

For background, read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.