Building on its testing of self-driving taxis in Singapore, software company nuTonomy will soon begin evaluating its autonomous technology closer to home.
The company said it will deploy a fully automated vehicle on public roads in Boston by the end of the year. A company executive signed a memorandum of understanding with city officials that will permit nuTonomy to operate in a 191-acre industrial park in Boston?s Seaport area.
Launched as a spinoff from nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the pilot project will be something of a homecoming for the company. But it?s not just proximity to its home base that made Boston an appealing proving ground. It?s the city?s lousy weather and traffic-clogged streets.
?Testing on the streets in Boston will expose our software to the reality of driving in the U.S., including winter driving conditions,? company spokesperson Eric Andrus said.
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?We?re throwing open the doors for conversations

with [autonomous driving] companies.? ? Kris Carter, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Boston
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Winter weather is considered one of the chief challenges for autonomous driving systems. To date, only Ford has claimed to have successfully driven its autonomous cars in the snow, and that was at the Mcity testing facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, not on public roads.
Should nuTonomy conduct those evaluations during the upcoming winter on public roads and do so without incident?two big question marks?it would be an indication the...