Volvo and Uber unveil a production-ready autonomous car

Volvo and Uber have unveiled a jointly developed production-ready autonomous car. Along with built-in safety features, the XC90 SUV uses Uber’s self-driving system.

Uber plans to deploy these cars as an autonomous ridesharing service. As part of the safety package, these cars include several back-up systems for steering and braking as well as battery back-up power. In case the main systems fail, these back-up systems are capable of immediately bringing the car to a stop. Apart from the systems designed by Volvo, the XC90 has sensors mounted on top of the car that enable the car to operate safely in urban environments as well.

Volvo plans to use a similar autonomous base vehicle concept for their autonomous cars which are expected to be launched in the early 2020s. The cars will be based on the SPA2 platform and will be able to drive autonomously in designated areas like highways and ring roads.

The two companies entered into a joint agreement in 2016 to develop autonomous cars.