Volvo Self-Driving Car Test Expands

Volvo has been working diligently on its self-driving car technology, having been testing it in various forms for a while now. The auto maker recently announced it is expanding its tests, extending it to real-world driving using customers operating them in everyday driving conditions.

Referred to as the "Drive Me" project, Volvo is in the process of rolling out its self-driving cars in Gothenburg, Sweden, where actual customers will get behind the wheels of 100 cars and test drive them through what amounts to about 50 kilometers of city roads.

The test will pit the cars against typical motorways and such used by commuters, and typical conditions drivers experience. This follows a test back in March that used magnets embedded in the road to help the self-driving technology keep itself within a lane.

Said Volvo Tech Specialist Erik Coelingh, "The test cars are now able to handle lane following, speed adaption and merging traffic all by themselves. 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."

SOURCE: Volvo