Volvo: New XC90 drives himself – in two years – Aftonbladet

Volvo: New XC90 drives himself – in two years – Aftonbladet

If only two years rolls 100 self-propelled XC90 on Swedish roads.

With the common people behind the ‘wheel’.

– It is not difficult to build a car that drives itself at 250 km / h around a track. The challenge is to put it in real traffic, says Peter Mertens.

2017 released 100 self-propelled Volvo XC90 out to the “real” customers in Gothenburg will be able to drive the cars – without running. They are part of a pilot project in the long run will mean completely self-driving cars, but it will be some time before the entire traffic running on autopilot.

– A common misconception is that we will have cars that run entirely by themselves already tomorrow, but it’s not. This will take time, says Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Volvo Car Group.

“is not enough 99%”

The hundred XC90 cars delivered on two years will be packed with radar, laser and camera sensors which measure the road ahead, around and behind the car. In addition, Volvo has developed an advanced 3D map and an extremely precise positioning of the car at all times be able to know where it keeps the house – and how it looks with human eyes.

– The car must be able to see, decide and act all by himself.

– Unable to settle for a 99 percent reliable system, but you need to get much closer to 100 percent before you can let yourself passing cars mix with real traffic, says Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist, Volvo Cars .

Is known for Audi RS7

Meanwhile, Mertens a boot for Audi and their self-driving RS7 who last year drove around the German race track Hockenheimring.

– It is easy to make show-cars driving around a track at 250 km / h, but it is much more difficult and complex to do it in reality.

But Volvo also acknowledge that the system is still in its infancy, for example, it will not work if the road is completely covered with snow. As the cameras can not read the road ahead and the car does not know “where is”. At the same time, it will be necessary to run the “approved” roads, which in the current situation covers 50 km in and around Gothenburg.

What the 100 lucky “test pilots” will be is not yet clear. Nor what the system will cost, but Volvo is clear that the price tag must be affordable for ordinary buyers to get in extensive production.