Volvo's new Drive Me autonomous car programme gets under way

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The Volvo Drive Me programme will see autonomous XC90 SUVs on the streets of cities around the world

Volvo has kicked off the Drive Me autonomous car programme; the world's most ambitious and advanced public autonomous driving experiment. Based in Volvo Cars' special manufacturing facility in Torslanda, the programme will see Volvo XC90 SUV become the first in a series of autonomous cars that will eventually be let loose on the streets of Gothenburg.

As a leading light in the automotive safety field, Volvo believes that introducing AD technology will reduce car accidents, as well as freeing up congested roads and reducing pollution. With the constant development of autonomous driving systems over the coming years, Volvo hopes that no one will be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo by 2020.

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The Drive Me project is unlike other autonomous driving experiments as Volvo aspires to collect feedback from the real customers that will use the cars in their day to day life, as opposed to purely relying on the research of its own engineers. Volvo hopes to refine its autonomous driving technology ahead of its commercial introduction around 2021. The Drive Me customer cars will undergo a meticulous testing phase to ensure the cars function exactly as they should and once this is complete, the cars will then be available to the public. 

Gothenburg is the first of numerous planned public trials for the autonomous driving Volvo cars. Next year a similar project is due to launch in London, while interest from cities in China could mean that the Drive Me project may be taken there over the next few years. 

With this in mind, Volvo has also revealed a fully autonomous construction truck. The Volvo FMX is part of a research project inaugurated to try to improve safety and productivity in mines, ports and other restricted environments. The trucks would operate continuously, reducing congestion and time spent to load and unload. 

Gothenburg is the first of numerous planned public trials for the autonomous driving Volvo cars. Next year a similar project is due to launch in London, while interest from cities in China could mean that the Drive Me project may be taken there over the next few years. 

With this in mind, Volvo has also revealed a fully autonomous construction truck. The Volvo FMX is part of a research project inaugurated to try to improve safety and productivity in mines, ports and other restricted environments. The trucks would operate continuously, reducing congestion and time spent to load and unload. 

On top of this, six sensors including GPS, radar and LiDAR, will be fitted to the truck to constantly monitor its surroundings. The system will create a map of the area, using it to create routes through the tunnels as well as informing steering, gear changes and speed, subsequently optimizing its route and fuel consumption. 

The testing for the FMX at the Boliden mine in Kristineberg is due to start soon, with Volvo hoping to have three such trucks tested within a year. As the first autonomous truck in the world to be tested underground, it will cover a distance of 7km in to the mine, reaching a depth of 1,320m.