![]() Initially, the cars will drive autonomously on selected roads with suitable conditions, for example without oncoming traffic, cyclists and pedestrians,” the statement read. “It cannot be expected that the driver is ready to suddenly intervene in a critical situation. Volvo said in a statement that the so-called autopilot system is reliable enough to take over all aspects of driving, but the challenge was to ensure it can cope with various traffic scenarios and possible technical faults. The Volvo system uses a number of technologies, including sensors, lasers, scanners, radars, cameras, high-definition 3D digital mapping, global positioning and cloud services. Volvo says that there will be up to 100 driverless cars on the streets of Gothenburg by 2017, and more as a part of a similar trial in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, but Mr O'Rourke added that at the moment they are just using on and off ramps of highways and major roads.Īs for a wider roll-out of self-driving models to other markets, Volvo said this would happen by about 2020, and that all next-generation Volvo models – starting with the XC90 – will include at least some of the technology.Ī number of other car-makers have pinpointed 2020 as the target year for full autonomous cars to be on the roads, including Mercedes-Benz and Audi, and, while Google has also committed to having its bubble-shaped self-driving vehicle out and about by 2020. We are designing autonomous driving around the needs of the consumer, not around trying to get some cheap PR.”“We have real cars driving on real roads in Gothenburg at the moment.” Doesn’t the driver want to do that? What do you want to use autonomous drive for? “To free up the time for the driver so they can do the things they want to do, use the wonderful interactive system we have, surf the web, do their work, talk on the phone, watch a film, those kinds of things. ![]() “Let’s face it, you take an A7 and turn it into an autonomous car and throw it around a track and you do doughnuts in it. Mr O'Rourke described German competitor Audi's announcement last year that it used a driverless RS7 to lap the Hockenheim race track as one of a number of “autonomous driving gimmicks”, and added that Volvo wanted to make the technology useful for everyday commuting. ![]() ![]() “We have one of the most advanced autonomous drive projects of all car-makers,” he said. Speaking with Australian media at the first drive of the XC90 SUV in Spain last month, Volvo Car Group product communication manager Trevor O'Rourke said the autonomous driving project was progressing well and that Volvo was well ahead of other companies working on the tech. The Drive Me project kicked off in 2013, but following extensive research and analysis, Volvo says it has designed a “complete production-viable autonomous driving system”. "We want to start a conversation about whether car makers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver ́s behavior, to tackle things like speeding, intoxication or distraction," Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive at the automaker, said of the new decision.VOLVO'S autonomous driving technology will be a key factor in ensuring its “vision” for zero deaths in its cars by 2020 is achieved, and the Swedish car-maker says it expects its self-driving cars to hit roads by 2017. Volvo, for its part, recognizes that it's on uncertain ground right now. Indeed in most countries the maximum speed a vehicle can achieve is well in excess of the legal limit for any public roads. Certainly, top speed has long been an automotive boast, even if it's not something most drivers ever experience in their cars. The new policy raises serious questions about the rights – and responsibilities – of drivers, and of automakers, in the hunt for road safety. That might be around a school, for instance, or a hospital, with the car automatically restricted to a safer speed. For example, it's looking at how geofencing and smart speed control might be used to force even lower limits in certain locations. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |