Volvo Aims to Integrate 100 Self-Driving Cars onto Selected Roadways by 2017

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Volvo

In as little as two years, Volvo Cars plans to put 100 self-driving cars on selected roads around Gothenburg, Sweden, through its Drive Me project, now in its second year.

The Drive Me autonomous driving system offers a complete solution that makes it possible to integrate self-driving cars into traffic, according to a news release. The company recently outlined the solution during an online press conference.

The public pilot represents collaboration between legislators, transport authorities, the city and Volvo. This project is a central part of the car maker’s plan to “achieve sustainable mobility and ensure a crash-free future,” according to the release.

“We are entering uncharted territory in the field of autonomous driving,” said Dr. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development of Volvo Car Group, according to the release. “Taking the exciting step to a public pilot, with the ambition to enable ordinary people to sit behind the wheel in normal traffic on public roads, has never been done before.”

To make this possible, Volvo Cars designed a “complete production-viable autonomous driving system,” which is made up of a complex network of sensors, cloud-based positioning systems and intelligent braking and steering technologies, according to the release.

Drive Me components also include a combined radar and camera, surround radars, 360° surround vision, a multiple beam laser scanner, a trifocal camera, long-range radars, and a high-definition 3D digital map.

For more information, watch this video on Volvo Cars’ autonomous driving system: