WeRide Deploys Autonomous Streetsweepers – CleanTechnica

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After writing about WeRide’s robotaxi deployment in Abu Dhabi, I went looking at recent WeRide announcements, and I noticed one especially interesting ones I had missed.

Just a couple weeks ago, autonomous robotaxis from WeRide, the Robosweeper S6 and Robosweeper S1, were commercially deployed in Singapore, at Marina Coastal Drive and Esplanade. Unsurprisingly, this is Singapore’s first commercialized autonomous sanitation project. It’s actually the first commercialized autonomous sanitation project I remember seeing.

This kind of application seems especially fitting for autonomous vehicles at this time. Not being an expert on the topic, it seems like they have relatively simple jobs, and even defined routes. It doesn’t seem like the toughest job to make these vehicles autonomous — relative to creating robotaxis, that is!

“The commercial launch of WeRide’s two autonomous sanitation devices follows one week after the company’s receipt of M1 and T1 licenses from the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA), highlighting WeRide’s exceptional execution capabilities and industry-leading speed in advancing global commercialization,” WeRide notes. “In partnership with Chye Thiam Maintenance (CTM), one of Singapore’s largest and highest-ranked environmental services companies, WeRide completed licensing, testing, and commercial deployment in under six months. WeRide’s Robosweeper S6 and Robosweeper S1 have become integral components of Singapore’s smart sanitation ecosystem.”

WeRide also provides a little bit of information on the technical needs of these autonomous streetsweepers: “Marina Bay’s complex road layouts and high pedestrian traffic demand precise and efficient sanitation solutions. WeRide’s Robosweeper S6 and Robosweeper S1 leverage 360-degree perception capabilities and responsive planning and control technologies to complement traditional sanitation operations through coordinated day-and-night shifts. These fully electric vehicles ensure safe and efficient operations while reducing carbon emissions, contributing to Singapore’s vision of a green, low-carbon city.”

Also, it was just over a month ago that WeRide closed its initial public offering (IPO), being listed on Nasdaq [NASDAQ:WRD]. At the time, the company noted, “WeRide became the world’s first publicly listed universal autonomous driving technology company and the first publicly listed Robotaxi company.” (Emphasis from WeRide.) Since then, every press release is noting at least once that WeRide is the first publicly listed autonomous driving company. Even at the end of that streetsweeper announcement, the company wrote, “As the world’s first publicly listed universal autonomous driving technology company and the first publicly listed Robotaxi company, WeRide is committed to advancing smart sanitation solutions globally, fostering greener, sustainable urban living.”

The company also noted later on that Uber invested in WeRide at the IPO. It had previously announced a strategic partnership between itself and Uber, in September, and then at the IPO in October, Uber invested in WeRide, “underscoring the strength of their partnership.”

Furthermore, WeRide previewed in that same statement the partnership with Uber that would be coming to the UAE, that it would launch autonomous bus service (“Robobus” service) in France with partner Beti as early as January 2025, and that WeRide had launched Robobus service in Singapore earlier this year. “This pioneering initiative features an integrated manual-autonomous shuttle system connecting luxury hotels and resorts, positioning WeRide as a trailblazer in premium, autonomous transportation solutions.”

The company also highlighted a series of milestones achieved in China, its home base. Clearly, the company is on a roll — no pun intended.