Volvo is one of the leading automakers when it comes to self-driving cars. Volvo’s Drive Me system has been hailed as a terrific autonomous system and it looks like the Swedish automaker will be publicly testing this brand-new technology starting as early as 2017.
“We are entering uncharted territory in the field of autonomous driving,” said Peter Mertens, senior vice president of research and development for Volvo. “Taking the exciting step to a public pilot, with the ambition to enable ordinary people to sit behind the wheel in normal traffic on public roads, has never been done before.”
Volvo’s autonomous driving system is a part of their larger safety scheme that hopes to see no serious injuries or deaths in one of their cars by 2020. According to the automaker, their Drive Me system can handle any type of driving condition, including "smooth commuting to heavy traffic and emergency situations.”
This will be one of the first public tests of an autonomous driving system ever. Volvo and Swedish lawmakers have already worked out a full testing scenario, so that the public is safe and informed during these various trials.
“It is relatively easy to build and demonstrate a self-driving concept vehicle, but if you want to create an impact in the real world, you have to design and produce a complete system that will be safe, robust and affordable for ordinary customers,” said Erik Coelingh, a Volvo technical specialist.
