Skip to main content

Volvo Wants to Bring A Fleet of Autonomous Vehicles to the U.S.

Volvo is getting ready to launch a fleet of self-driving vehicles in Gothenburg, Sweden that will be driven by ordinary people next year. The Swedish automaker would like to do the same program in the U.S.
Posted: April 13, 2016 - 2:57PM
Author: Will Maley
Volvo XC90 Drive Me Test Vehicle

Speaking with Automotive News (Subscription Required), Lex Kerssemakers, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America said the company would like to do a similar program to the one in Sweden. But it will be some time before this happens.

"Our ambition is to have a similar project also in the United States When? I do not know. It is very premature. It is in the very early stages," said Kerssemakers.

The program called Drive Me will put ordinary people into 100 self-driving Volvo XC90 crossovers on a controlled 31 Mile route in Gothenburg. The XC90s will be used for daily commuting on roads with a barrier between the various lanes and operate "in real traffic in a real situation." Volvo plans on running this program from next year to the spring of 2019.

Last week, Volvo announced plans to do a similar program in China. The plan would have local drivers testing self-driving vehicles on public roads in limited driving situations such as highways. No timetable for this program was announced.

Automotive News
Volvo