Automotive supplier Continental and automaker BMW are working together to develop technologies that will allow for vehicles to drive themselves at highway speeds. The two companies signed a joint development agreement in Jan. 2013.

The companies said the joint project will run through 2014 and that it will involve equipping several prototype vehicles with automated driving systems and testing them in 2013 and 2014. Continental described the technology as close to production, and that the tests (set to be conducted in Germany) will involve freeways, interchanges, and other on-road features.

Continental said it will create a vehicle safety system that will allow for operation of the vehicles if malfunctions occur. The company said it will also define the functional, electrical, and electronic architecture of the test vehicles and in conducting research for the project under BMW’s guidance.

Other companies developing autonomous vehicle technologies include Audi, General Motors, Google, and Volvo.