By now most of us have heard of autonomous cars, although most still think it is a long way away. Volvo on the other hand is about to begin the rollout of the first large-scale self-driving fleet on the streets of Gothenburg, in Sweden.
This new project is a joint initiative between Volvo, Sweden's Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg. Called 'Drive Me', the venture aims to discover just what the societal benefits could be from autonomous driving and the project could shape the future development of mobility.
The self-driving fleet will consist of new XC90 models, which will become operational next year, although it will be 2017 before these cars will be operating on public roads. In the interim these vehicles will be tested and used in other studies aimed at making time spent behind the wheel more productive or, if desired, more relaxing. The cars will be driven by customers rather than scientists, although they will be required to adhere to pre-determined roads that have been specifically chosen for varying traffic conditions.
Anything else?
The 'Drive Me' project isn't just about allowing the car to bring its occupants from A to B, it will also include a fully automated parking system that will enable the driver to exit the vehicle at a car park entrance and it will then set off autonomously to find an empty parking space and park.