Volvo is a leader in vehicle development and best-in-class when it comes to safety.
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“By joining forces with Uber we can fast forward to the future”. They will be there just to make sure the auto doesn’t do anything too terribly stupid, and to take over in situations where Uber’s semi-autonomous technology isn’t as yet totally reliable.
Uber announced in May that it was beginning to map Pittsburgh for its self-driving vehicles.
As part of the $300 million Uber/Volvo deal, Uber would purchase the XC90 sports utility vehicles, considered some of the safest on the road, and then develop and install the autonomous driving technology on each auto. “If it looks like something big is that it is one”, said Travis Kalanick.
The company’s master plan is to eventually replace all of Uber’s one million drivers.
M – A new partnership between Volvo and Uber signals the evolution of autonomous driving.
While Google and Tesla plan to manufacture their own driverless cars, Kalanick says that’s not in Uber’s plans, according to Bloomberg. The high-tech ride-hailing company said that an unspecified number of autonomous Ford Fusions with human backup drivers will pick up passengers just like normal Uber vehicles.
CEO Travis Kalanick said cutting the driver out of the equation could potentially make the service much cheaper for riders – possibly even cheaper than a private vehicle.
According to Bloomberg, within weeks customers will be able to request self-driving cars through the regular Uber app.
Uber will purchase Volvos and then install its own driverless control system for the specific needs of its ride-hailing service. But by launching now, the ride-sharing service is beating Google to the punch; that company is planning to launch its own self-driving ride-share service.
Since its founding in San Francisco seven years ago, Uber has given rise to a new opportunity for independent contractors.
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“It’s probably for the best”, he said.
