Thanks to a series of technical innovations in the field of autonomous driving it has introduced in the last couple of years, Volvo is now considered one of the leading players in the driverless car race. The Swedish automaker sees self-driving technology as a key component of its long-term strategy for eliminating motor vehicle crashes and reducing traffic congestion, and it is one of the companies with the most ambitious companies when it comes to when it plans to put driverless cars on the road.
Volvo is now one step closer to a realization of that plan, as it prepares to public testing of a fleet of autonomous vehicles. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based automaker has announced that it will test self-driving car prototypes on public roads in China, a country that is making serious efforts for creating an environment suitable for the deployment of autonomous vehicles.
100 Self-Driving Cars Ready to Hit the Road
As part of its efforts for testing self-driving vehicles in real-world conditions, Volvo will send a fleet of 100 cars equipped with autonomous driving technology to various Chinese cities, and it will be the second experiment of its kind, on top of the recently announced tests in Gothenburg that are supposed to start next year.
Volvo said that it will soon start negotiations with local authorities in several cities in the most populous country in the world, to find out where it would have the optimal conditions for testing, in terms of regulations, infrastructure, and permits.
China Provides Exactly What Volvo Needs
China was chosen as a location for Volvo’s latest self-driving car experiment for a couple of reasons. First, Volvo is now owned by China-based automotive company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, which acquired the Swedish automaker in 2010.
Second, China is regarded as a great place for testing autonomous vehicles because of its high levels of traffic congestion, which is something that the scheduled experiment in Gothenburg will not provide.
As Reuters reports, the tests will be conducted on expressways and highways, because it’s safer than driving in densely populated urban areas. The cars will be operated by specially trained drivers from China.
“There are multiple benefits to AD autonomous driving cars,” Samuelsson in an official statement. “That is why governments need to put in place the legislation to allow AD cars onto the streets as soon as possible. The car industry cannot do it all by itself. We need government help.”
Volvo says that the experiment in China is supposed to start soon, but didn’t provide a specific date.