You're either going to like this news on the grounds of the jaw-dropping technology involved, or hate it because it could spell the end of human-controlled driving - but Volvo's 'Drive Me' project, in which its cars can drive themselves, is gathering pace over in Sweden.
Following on from Google's recent announcement that its robot-controlled fleet has covered more than one million kilometres of testing, the Swedish carmaker has countered by saying its Autopilot technology is performing well in the 100 cars that are driving on the streets of Gothenburg, the company's home turf.
"The test cars are now able to handle lane following, speed adaption and merging traffic all by themselves," says Erik Coelingh, technical specialist at Volvo Car Group. "This is an important step towards our aim that the final 'Drive Me' cars will be able to drive the whole test route in highly autonomous mode. The technology, which will be called Autopilot, enables the driver to hand over the driving to the vehicle, which takes care of all driving functions."
Volvo says what makes this programme unique is that it involves key stakeholders, who are pivotal to making this technological black magic become reality, including legislators, transport authorities, a major global city, a carmaker and, perhaps most importantly of all, customers. It is the last of these groups that is driving the 100 cars in everyday traffic conditions on 50km of selected roads in and around Gothenburg; roads that are said to be typical commuter arteries, including motorways and congestion bottlenecks.
Anything else?
'Drive Me - Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility' is a joint initiative between Volvo, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg. The Swedish Government is endorsing the project.
"This public pilot will provide us with a valuable insight into the societal benefits of making autonomous vehicles a natural part of the traffic environment," adds Coelingh. "Our smart vehicles are a key part of the solution, but a broad societal approach is vital to offer sustainable personal mobility in the future. This unique cross-functional co-operation is the key to a successful implementation of self-driving vehicles." Yes, whatever - just don't called the Autopilot HAL 9000, please...