Bosch opens a new R&D center dedicated to Self Driving Car in Sophia Antipolis on the Côte d’Azur (French Riviera).
Why Bosch is shaping its Self Driving Car on the Côte d’Azur
Bosch had announced on June 26th 2015 the opening of “Bosch Vision Tec”, a new R&D center specialized in autonomous vehicles in Sophia Antipolis. On October 4th the group showed its new 1000 squaremeter quarters located in the Business Pole 2 incubator in Sophia Antipolis.
Bosch’s Research activities in Sophia Antipolis are focused on developing components for advanced driver-assistance systems. “We want to expand the functionalities of next-generation vehicles to enable the car to see what a driver would see.” explains Frédéric Dosière, director of Bosch Vision Tec.
A first project on components for frontal cameras is already in the works. The production will begin in 2017 to be available in Bosch’s first driverless cars in 2019.
Team Cote d’Azur facilitated this project by providing insight on financial incentives and helping Bosch’s team find the right place for its R&D facility.
While opening the new R&D center, Heiko Carrie, Head of Bosch France, gave the reasons that made Bosch choose to do Research on Self Driving Cars in Sophia Antipolis: “In 2015, we chose to establish ourselves in Sophia Antipolis because it undoubtedly presents a more favorable ecosystem that supports research and development in the field of embedded electronics. Today, our primary objectives have been achieved and we will open a larger center that will allow us to facilitate all the skills necessary to carry out our research into the electronic systems of assistance related to autonomous vehicles.”