Volvo pioneers ‘sustainable mobility’ with self-driving cars

Sweden is to pilot the world’s first large-scale autonomous driving project in which 100 self-driving Volvo cars will use public roads in everyday driving conditions around the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

 The ground-breaking project ‘Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility’ is a joint initiative between Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg. It is also endorsed by the Swedish Government.

The pilot will involve self-driving cars using approximately 50km of selected roads in and around Gothenburg. The roads are typical commuter arteries and include motorway conditions and frequent queues.

“Our aim is for the car to be able to handle all possible traffic scenarios by itself, including leaving the traffic flow and finding a safe ‘harbour’ if the driver for any reason is unable to regain control,” explained Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Group.

The project will commence next year with customer research and technology development, as well as the development of a user interface and cloud functionality. The first cars are expected to be on the roads in Gothenburg by 2017.

“Autonomous vehicles and a smarter infrastructure will bring us another step towards even safer traffic and an improved environment. It will also contribute to new jobs and new opportunities in Sweden,” commented Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure.