driverless cars
Volvo Stakes Its Claim to Driverless Vehicles http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323751104578147352673892548.html By: Charles Duxbury and John Stoll
Swedish carmaker Volvo is planning to produce driverless cars that are aimed at reducing crashes, through the use of self-driving car technology by 2020. Volvo’s vision is that no one will be killed or injured in these driverless cars because there is no chance for human error. Volvo also believes that with the driverless car technology it’s developing, we could see virtually zero car deaths, at least in cars with this technology. Existing vehicles could be easily adapted to this new technology also.
The company says it is preparing to launch in 2014 its first batch of autonomous vehicles capable of driving up to 31 miles per hour. Volvo says it is working on higher-speed vehicles, but isn’t yet disclosing when it would be available. Its prototypes have run thousands of miles of test drives on public roads in Spain and on the company’s test track in western Sweden. Volvo is convinced that this is the future and they want to get there first.
In May 2012, the firm tested the self-driving car technology in normal traffic condition in Spain to see its effectiveness, during which a truck led the convoy of four self-driven Volvo vehicles that included a second truck followed by three driverless cars. During the test, the prototype vehicles were equipped with safety systems including cameras, radar and laser sensors, in addition to autonomous control that allow performing same operations, including accelerating, braking and turning, similar to the vehicle in the lead. The vehicles traveled at 85km/h with a six meter gap between each car.
The Swedish car maker has been in a slide recently with only 436,000 vehicles sold last year and this year expected to be in the red, according to the WSJ. So it’s not surprising that the company has high hopes for the technology. It could be these innovations that turn
Swedish carmaker Volvo is planning to produce driverless cars that are aimed at reducing crashes, through the use of self-driving car technology by 2020. Volvo’s vision is that no one will be killed or injured in these driverless cars because there is no chance for human error. Volvo also believes that with the driverless car technology it’s developing, we could see virtually zero car deaths, at least in cars with this technology. Existing vehicles could be easily adapted to this new technology also.
The company says it is preparing to launch in 2014 its first batch of autonomous vehicles capable of driving up to 31 miles per hour. Volvo says it is working on higher-speed vehicles, but isn’t yet disclosing when it would be available. Its prototypes have run thousands of miles of test drives on public roads in Spain and on the company’s test track in western Sweden. Volvo is convinced that this is the future and they want to get there first.
In May 2012, the firm tested the self-driving car technology in normal traffic condition in Spain to see its effectiveness, during which a truck led the convoy of four self-driven Volvo vehicles that included a second truck followed by three driverless cars. During the test, the prototype vehicles were equipped with safety systems including cameras, radar and laser sensors, in addition to autonomous control that allow performing same operations, including accelerating, braking and turning, similar to the vehicle in the lead. The vehicles traveled at 85km/h with a six meter gap between each car.
The Swedish car maker has been in a slide recently with only 436,000 vehicles sold last year and this year expected to be in the red, according to the WSJ. So it’s not surprising that the company has high hopes for the technology. It could be these innovations that turn