Forget driving your own car, Volvo is now testing self-driving cars. Could this be the way of the future?
Before we know it we could have robots cooking us dinner and Volvo driving our cars for us.
Volvo has now launched a pilot project in Sweden where it is testing self-driving vehicles on real public streets.
The project is being called the “Drive Me-Self Driving Cars for Sustainable Mobility” and is a joint initiative between Volvo, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish transport agency and Lindholmen Science park.
Operating in the city of Gothenburg, the group is aiming to test autonomous driving and Volvo is hard at work to become the first car manufacturer to develop the technology.
In order to build customer confidence, Volvo has a long way to go and they are currently in the process of testing their efficiency and safety.
Currently, the company is looking at infrastructure requirements and different traffic situations suitable for autonomous control.
The new cars are aiming to be low emission vehicles that will help alleviate traffic and make driving more pleasurable and relaxing. While being autonomous, the cars will also have manual driving options allowing you to get the greatest benefit.
The cars will also have the ability to park themselves and when stuck in traffic, switching to autonomous mode will allow you to multi-task, talk on your phone and even surf the web.
When it comes to safety, Volvo is adamant in making their cars so safe that no deaths or serious injuries will occur. In addition to typical safety features, Volvo is aiming to make exit safety systems, strong vehicle designs and is improving accident prevention technology.
While autonomous cars are still many years away, Volvo will begin testing the cars in 2014 and are hoping to have the first models available for sale in 2017.