BlackBerry, Delphi Partner on Self-Driving Car Operating System

Auto suppliers Delphi Automotive and BlackBerry will partner on a software operating system for self-driving cars, the companies said on Wednesday.

Delphi already has developed a turnkey self-driving system called CSLP that it plans to begin selling to automakers and other transportation providers in 2019, for production in 2021. Most larger vehicle manufacturers are developing their own self-driving systems.

Glen De Vos, Delphi's chief technology officer, said BlackBerry QNX would provide an operating system that was already certified to high levels of safety for Delphi's CSLP system, which uses software developed by Delphi's Ottomatika unit.

"You have to have all these pieces together, otherwise what you have is a demo," De Vos said at a media briefing.

De Vos said Delphi expects to begin testing its automated driving systems in pilot projects with ride-service fleets by 2019, with plans to "take the driver out by 2020." The initial fleets of vehicles will be small and limited to defined routes in cities, he said, including a partnership in Europe with Transdev Group, a Paris-based public transport service.

BlackBerry said its operating system would help guard against cyber-attacks, malware and system malfunctions - critical concerns for self-driving vehicles.

Delphi's partners on the CSLP platform include Intel Corp's Mobileye and Silicon Valley startup Renovo.

In May, German automaker BMW said Delphi would join it in a self-driving partnership that includes Intel and Mobileye.