Uber, Volvo Unveil “Production-Ready” Autonomous Car

Volvo Car Corp. and ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. took the wraps off the latest version of their jointly developed prototype self-driving vehicle.

The partners claim the modified Volvo XC90 SUV is the first model—with original-equipment wiring and harnessing—capable of fully driving itself. The vehicle features a roof-mounted sensor array, Uber’s control technology and backup devices are built into the braking, steering and battery systems.

Uber aims to begin testing the vehicles on public roads next year. The company will continue to test earlier self-driving XC90s that have been developed with Volvo over the last three years.

Volvo also aims to launch its own self-driving technology early next decade. These models will use the company’s SPA2 platform, which is being designed to accommodate autonomous driving on highways and other select roads.

Volvo anticipates that one-third of all new passenger vehicles produced will be fully autonomous by about 2025. This is a much more ambitious timeline than other industry forecasts for the technology.

Watch a video about the new Uber-Volvo vehicle HERE.