Volvo self driving, closer than we think. Ride Pilot, Volvo’s unsupervised automated driving capability, will be available to consumers in California initially.
Ride Pilot intends to clear more time for users and make riding and driving in a Volvo even more easy and pleasant by expanding on an industry-leading safety standard that will be included in Volvo’s next generation of pure electric cars.
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Ride Pilot will be featured in the upcoming Volvo SUV
Ride Pilot will be available as an add-on subscription for the company’s upcoming completely electric SUV after it has been validated as safe for usage on highways. Later in 2022, the Swedish brand will unveil its new flagship vehicle.
Volvo Cars is establishing a new bar for safety with over-the-air software upgrades and a cutting-edge sensor setup on its next generation of vehicles. The program was created by Zenseact, an autonomous driving (AD) software business, in collaboration with Volvo Cars’ internal development team and engineers from Luminar, one of the company’s technological partners.
The Volvo self driving technology relies on a plethora of sensors to prove its safety
More than two dozen sensors, including Luminar’s cutting-edge Iris LiDAR sensor, are used in the sensor setup, which works in tandem with the created software.
“We are proud to announce the planned US launch of our first truly unsupervised autonomous driving feature, as we look to set a new industry standard for autonomy without compromising safety,” said Mats Moberg, head of research and development at Volvo Cars. “Having Zenseact’s brand new AD software and Luminar’s LiDAR standard in our new fully electric SUV is a game-changer for Volvo Cars, as well as for automotive safety and autonomous driving.”
While this software-sensor combination, as well as the safety it provides, will be standard on Volvo Cars’ upcoming fully electric SUV from the start and will continue to improve over time, Ride Pilot will only be available to customers after it has passed Volvo Cars’ rigorous verification and testing protocol.
This involves proving that the technology is safe to use on roadways under a variety of scenarios.
Tests are already on their way
Volvo Cars is already testing autonomous driving capabilities on Swedish highways with Zenseact as part of this verification process, and gathering data throughout Europe and the United States. The business plans to begin testing on California roads by the middle of 2022, where the temperature, traffic conditions, and legal framework are conducive to the introduction of autonomous driving.
Testing will start as soon as the necessary approvals are obtained by the Swedish brand.
“Delivering a new safety standard for the industry requires a level of rigorous testing and verification that will expand globally,” said Ödgärd Anderson, CEO of Zenseact. “Zenseact AD software plays a key role in this new standard and in the journey towards zero collisions.”
The business plans to launch Ride Pilot in California first, when it has been validated as safe and all relevant permits have been obtained, before progressively expanding to other markets and areas across the world.
Drivers may use Ride Pilot to free up time while driving and use it on other things such as reading, writing, working, or socializing. By decreasing the mental strain that comes with driving, particularly in traffic jams or heavy traffic, the function may also help drivers arrive at their destination refreshed and rejuvenated.
The term ‘Ride Pilot’ emphasizes what the driver may expect: while the vehicle is driving itself, Volvo Cars assumes control, providing comfort and peace of mind to the driver.
In Volvo Cars’ future fully electric SUV, Luminar‘s LiDAR sensor will join five radars, eight cameras, and sixteen ultrasonic sensors. This common sensor configuration ensures great vision and perception accuracy.
Complete redundancy for complete safety
The solution will provide complete redundancy and allow Volvo Cars to accomplish safe autonomous driving with Ride Pilot by combining continual, over-the-air software rollouts.
“Luminar’s vision is to democratize next-generation safety and autonomy, and we’re already seeing this become a reality with the first vehicle launching on Volvo’s new platform” said Austin Russell, Founder and CEO. “With Luminar as standard on every vehicle, their next SUV has the opportunity to be the safest vehicle on the road.”
Volvo is committed to becoming a 100% electric vehicle manufacturer by 2030, as well as aiming to reduce its carbon impact over time, with the goal of becoming a climate-neutral corporation by 2040.
