(Yicai) June 20 -- WeRide, a Chinese developer of autonomous driving technologies, has allied with a Singaporean sanitation company on the commercial deployment of robosweepers in Singapore by the end of this year.

The first batch of WeRide Robosweepers has arrived in Singapore and begun safety testing with the support of Chye Thiam Maintenance, one of the country's largest cleaning and waste management firms, the Guangzhou-based firm announced today.

The robosweepers have many high-precision sensors and artificial intelligent algorithms, enabling them to efficiently perform urban sanitation tasks, including road sweeping, water spraying, and disinfection, WeRide noted. They automatically detect road conditions to avoid pedestrians and obstacles, ensuring safe and reliable operation while enhancing cleaning efficiency, it added.

WeRide Robosweepers are powered by an all-electric drive system, which will contribute to the green transformation of Singapore's sanitation sector by reducing carbon dioxide emission by an average of nearly 10,000 kilograms a month compared to fuel vehicles, according to the company.

Since September 2022, WeRide has rolled out smart sanitation services in several Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Beijing, and Zhengzhou. It obtained an autonomous vehicles license in Singapore last November, while earlier it got such permits from China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

Singapore is WeRide's first step into the Southeast Asian market, while the company is also eyeing more developed markets, including European countries, Japan, and South Korea, Chief Executive Tony Han previously told Yicai. It also aims at potentially lucrative markets in South America and the Middle East, he added.

Editor: Martin Kadiev