TomTom and Bosch are working on maps for self-driving cars

TomTom and Bosch are working together on digital navigation maps for self-driving cars. The companies are currently testing the maps on roads in Germany and the United States. The tickets for Germany should in any case be finished by the end of this year.

The maps for self-driving cars should make it possible by 2020 to allow self-driving cars to navigate on highways. TomTom thinks that the maps can already be used on motorways in Germany by the end of this year.

According to TomTom, different requirements are imposed on maps for self-driving cars: they must be accurate to the nearest decimetre. Also, data such as lane separation, road signs and the speed limit must be accurately indicated, as well as information about the direction of the road.

Self-driving cars can also navigate by ‘scanning’ the road, but with special maps this would no longer be necessary, if at all. To keep the maps up-to-date, the companies deploy ‘scan cars’ that map out new roads. Also, cars drive around to map changes to the roads.

TomTom announced the collaboration with Bosch during the presentation of its quarterly figures. The company achieved more sales, but less profit. While turnover increased by 5 percent to 264.6 million euros, profit fell sharply to 2.5 million euros. That is a decrease of 71 percent compared to a year earlier.