Remi Bastien will explore the true usefulness of automated driving in his keynote address to APAC21 in Melbourne in October.

APAC21, the 21st biennial Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference, has announced former Renault autonomous vehicle engineering chief Remi Bastien as its first keynote speaker.

Recently retired as Vice President, Automobile Prospective for Groupe Renault, Remi Bastien was Global Director for Autonomous Driving Prospective at the Renault/Nissan Alliance in 2015-16.

SAE-A Chairman and CEO Adrian Feeney said Remi would bring the unique perspective an engineer who had mapped out the autonomous plans of a global car company.

We are delighted to have Remi as our keynote, as only a handful of people have played such a pivotal role in defining the future of autonomous vehicles,” Mr Feeney said.

“Remi delivers a truly international perspective to our theme of Harmonising the Future of Mobility, and he promises to explore the true real-world usefulness of automated driving.

“Not only has he spent 39 years with Groupe Renault, but he is Delegate General and Treasurer of FISITA, the international federation of mobility engineering associations.

“He is also chairman of Next Move, a French cluster dedicated to mobility, and a member of the Shift Project, a French think tank for the sustainable economy.”

Remi Bastien’s keynote will address the proposition that automated driving must be more than just a technical challenge to achieve its essential value to sustainable mobility.

Drawing on examples in the US and Europe, he says its potential will be achieved when combined with ride sharing and multimodal applications to take advantage of infrastructure.

He says this will require complementary initiatives by car makers, telecom, infrastructure and tech companies, as the challenge is bigger than any single actor can handle.

APAC21 will run from 3-5 October 2022 at the Hyatt Place Essendon Fields. Online registration and full details are at www.autonomous2022.com.

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