Volvo and Uber in joint agreement, develop autonomous XC90
Volvo and Uber have developed a self-driving production car based on the XC90 SUV in strategic collaboration as part of their joint engineering agreement.
Uber, which launched in America in 2009 and in South Africa back in 2013 entered into a joint engineering agreement in 2016 with a leader in automotive safety, Volvo Cars. As part of the strategic collaboration, the two companies have focussed on the development of self-driving vehicles which saw several prototypes during the process.
Fully capable of driving itself with the help of Uber’s self-driving system, the Volvo XC90 SUV presented is fully autonomous. Future deployment of the XC90 into the Uber’s network is enabled by key safety features installed with several back-up systems including a battery back-up in place to ensure both steering and braking functions are online at all times. Should any interruptions in the primary systems take place, the back-up system will safely bring the car to a halt.
Safely navigating and driving within urban environments is made possible by the addition of additional sensors over and above those in the standard XC90. This will not only reduce the need for Uber drivers but also for Uber trained ‘Mission Specialists‘ which oversee and operate vehicles in areas designated and suitable for autonomous driving.
“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” Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars said.
Volvo will be delivering thousands of autonomous vehicles to Uber as part of their commercial agreement in the coming years while consumers will see the incorporation of similar technologies in Volvo cars as early as in 2020. Volvo will also use similar technologies in its next generation vehicles built on the SPA2 architecture for improved road safety and convenience in scenarios such as traffic jams and in designated areas such as highways and ring roads.
“Working in close cooperation with companies like Volvo is a key ingredient to effectively building a safe, scalable, self-driving fleet, 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.” Eric Meyhofer, CEO of Uber Advanced Technologies Group.
Even though fully autonomous vehicles are expected by Volvo South Africa for the local market, it won’t be soon. In the interim South Africans will be protected by the current variety of safety features found in modern vehicles.
“Whilst we don’t expect to see these vehicles on our roads in the short term, when they do arrive, they can only serve to have a positive effect on road safety for people travelling in and around the car, ever since we invented the three-point safety belt in 1959, Volvo has been synonymous with safety. Our cars offer a host of impressive safety features – Pilot Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Distance Alert, City Safety, Lane Keeping Aid, Run-Off road Mitigation, Driver Alert Control, Road Sign Information … to name but a few. So, while our autonomous cars will represent a safe leap into the future, I’m very proud to say that the vehicles that we currently offer already boast impeccable safety credentials,” Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director, Volvo Car South Africa said.
