Drive Me: The most ambitious experiment in ‘autonomous driving’

Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo has embarked on a very ambitious experiment on the path to autonomous driving vehicles with its first SUV model XC90 in Gothenburg.

The first prototype was completed at the auto manufacturer’s plant in Torslanda, Sweden on Friday. The company stated it was the first in a series of autonomous vehicles that will later be offered to families in Gothenburg for testing on public roads.

With a vision that ‘autonomous drive’ (AD) cars will reduce the number of accidents on the road, it also promised that AD vehicles will reduce traffic congestions while allowing drivers to make better use of their time on the road.

The Autonomous Driving Brain

The auto manufacturer already offers a semi-autonomous function in the existing 90 series, known as Pilot Assist it allows for correcting the steering ever so gently to keep the vehicles within lane markings even at speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour.

Drive Me vehicles will be capability of driving the vehicle without any input using hands or feet to control the car. This is made possible by a technology the company has dubbed as the Autonomous Dirving Brain.

Constant Learning

The Drive Me experiment unlike any other project stands out because it relies not only on testing and research conducted by the company’s own engineers but rather will gather feedback on a day to day basis from customers using the AD vehicles.

Before the AD vehicles will be handed over to customers participating in the Drive Me program the vehicles undergo an intensive testing regime to ensure the AD features function exactly as they are supposed to.

Multiple testing locations

After the Gothenburg project, the company plans to introduce AD vehicles in London in 2017 while bids are being evaluated from cities in China where the testing may start in the next few years.

The company has already partnered with global transportation company Uber to develop a next-generation of self-driving cars.

The company hopes to introduce the Autonomous Drive vehicles in the commercial market after 2020.