Volvo and Uber have presented a new production vehicle, which is still based on an XC90, capable of fully autonomous driving. Unlike previous versions of such a vehicle, the latest one you see here is built to accommodate Uber’s self-driving technology direct from the factory rather than having it being retrofitted.
This latest development is part of a joint agreement that both companies agreed to enter in 2016, and brings Uber one step closer to a possible future deployment of self-driving cars in its network as a robotaxi service. It adds that there would even be no need for an Uber specialist to be in the vehicle while it operates in the future.
With safety being a hot topic when it comes to self-driving cars, the car has more redundancies built into it. These include several backup systems for both steering and braking functions as well as battery backup power. In the event any of car’s primary systems fail, the backup systems are designed to immediately act to bring the car to a stop.
The project will also allow Volvo to use a similar autonomous base vehicle concept for its future autonomous drive cars from 2020. These technologies will be present on the next generation of Volvo models based on the SPA2 vehicle architecture, which will allow for unsupervised autonomous drive in clearly designated areas.
“We believe autonomous drive technology will allow us to further improve safety, the foundation of our company. By the middle of the next decade we expect one-third of all cars we sell to be fully autonomous. Our agreement with Uber underlines our ambition to be the supplier of choice to the world’s leading ride-hailing companies,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.
“Volvo has long been known for their commitment to safety, which is the cornerstone of their newest production-ready self-driving base vehicle. When paired with our self-driving technology, this vehicle will be a key ingredient in Uber’s autonomous product suite,” commented Eric Meyhofer, CEO of Uber Advanced Technologies Group.
Source: Read Full Article