Google, Tesla and even German carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi might be taking strides in the development of autonomous cars but it’s the online transportation network company Uber that is first making this technology accessible to the public. The Swedish auto giant and American emerging transport company stated this as a long time partnership. “These are tragedies that self-driving technology can help solve, but we can’t do this alone”, said Travis Kalanick, Uber chief executive.
Advertisement
“It is a world leader in the development of active safety and autonomous drive technology and possesses an unrivalled safety credibility”. Now, the firm is leveraging its Otto self-driving technology to partner with automakers to create a fleet of self-driving Uber taxis. “This alliance places Volvo at the heart of the current technological revolution in the automotive industry”.
It added, “This will involve Uber adding its own self-developed autonomous driving systems to the Volvo base vehicle”.
That sees Uber getting access to a purpose-built vehicle from a manufacturer with safety as its primary ethos and allows Volvo to continue its own pursuit of safe driverless cars.
Otto co-founder Anthony Levandowski will head Uber and Otto’s combined self-driving efforts and report directly to Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick.
The base vehicles will be manufactured by Volvo Cars and then purchased from Volvo by Uber.
The base vehicle would be developed on Volvo’s fully modular scalable product architecture (SPA). “By combining the capabilities of Uber and Volvo we will get to the future faster, together”.
Human standby drivers will be phased out within two years according to Uber.
Advertisement
So far Otto has tested self-driving trucks for highway use only, but developers hope the new technology will enable trucks to drive around the clock, leaving humans to rest, do paperwork and take the controls only while going on and off highways.
