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Following on from Volvo's recent link-ups with Uber and Autoliv as part of its autonomous car strategy, the Swedish company has hit another milestone in its Drive Me project. Initiated in 2013, the first autonomous car for the venture has just been produced. The XC90 SUV is fitted with the latest in Volvo's autonomous systems and is destined to undergo rigorous testing in Gothenburg.
Volvo has been running autonomous cars in its home city for a couple of years now, and this XC90 is the first in a line of cars that will be handed to the general public for testing in everyday conditions. The 90 series already features Pilot Assist (a semi-autonomous steering aid), but the designated Drive Me cars will have full hands-and-feet-free capability in special zones around Gothenburg, powered by something called the ''Autonomous Driving Brain''.
This is a further step in Volvo's quest to eradicate any fatalities or serious injuries in its cars by 2020, and feedback will be sought from the users of the Drive Me cars as part of the attempt to make them as practical and safe as possible before the scheduled wide-scale launch date of 2021.
Erik Coelingh, Volvo's Senior Technical Leader in Active Safety had this to say: "This is an important milestone for the Drive Me project. Customers look at their cars differently than us engineers, so we are looking forward to learn how they use these cars in their daily lives and what feedback they will give us."
Further trials are planned for next year in London, and some cities in China have also expressed interest in participating in the project. 2021 isn't that far away you know, so don't be shocked if you spot a seemingly driverless Volvo gliding along your street at some stage in the near future...
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