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. Combined, both parties are pouring $300 million into the project. That’s why our partnership with a great manufacturer like Volvo is so important.
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“Over one-million people die in auto accidents every year”, says Uber CE Travis Kalanick.
The new base vehicle will be developed on Volvo’s fully modular Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), the same platform on which the the XC90 SUV, S90 sedan and the V90 estate are built on.
The Volvo-Uber project is a significant milestone for the auto industry, marking one of the biggest partnerships between a traditional manufacturer and contemporary digital business.
Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said in a press release: “Volvo is a world leader in the development of active safety and autonomous drive technology and possesses an unrivaled safety credibility”.
Now, Uber is positioning itself ahead of Google, widely seen as the leader in self-driving auto technologies, and Tesla Motors, since neither company has brought a self-driving fleet of cars to the market yet.
Autonomous Volvo XC90s with human drivers from Uber could be on the road operating in the ride-hailing service network by the end of the year, according to a report from Automotive News.
Uber on Thursday announced the acquisition of Otto, an American startup with around 90 staff working on developing self-driving trucks. Together the two companies have a strong team of autonomous vehicle engineers with autonomous vehicles already on the road through the companies’ Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh. Uber didn’t officially partner up with Carnegie Mellon, but Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick flew out to Pittsburgh in order to hire dozens of world experts in autonomous vehicles and software development.
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The vehicles – which are Ford Fusions – are supervised by a driver who takes hold of the wheel if necessary.
