These maps are already being used in the automated vehicles Bosch is testing on certain public roads in Germany (A81) and in the United States (I280).

Dr Dirk Hoheisel, a Bosch board of management member, said: “Only with high precision maps will automated driving on motorways be possible from 2020.”

Jan Maarten de Vries, vice president automotive at TomTom, added: “By the end of 2015, we want to have new high-precision maps for automated driving for all motorways and motorway-like roads in Germany.” Road coverage will subsequently be extended to the rest of Europe and North America.

To ensure map data is up to date, the TomTom mapping fleet will continue to be regularly on the road, accurately mapping new roads and routes.

And in order to register recent changes on the roads, such as changed lane configurations or new traffic signs, TomTom and Bosch plan to use feedback from fleets of vehicles equipped with the necessary sensors.

The new agreement builds on the firms existing partnership, which has TomTom also provide dynamic map information via its real-time service backend for Bosch’s connected horizon technology, which can predict the route ahead and adapt driving strategy accordingly.