Upcoming Self Driving Vehicles - 7. Volvo | ET Autolytics

Upcoming Self Driving Vehicles

Driverless or autonomous vehicles are what we want to see as the future of automobile industry. This dream is not very faraway, and is on the way to become a reality.

With companies developing autonomous technologies to some already going through the testing phase, IHS Automotive expects sales of such vehicles likely to reach nearly 21 million globally by 2035.

Lets have a look at some of these vehicles which soon may land up in your parking lot.

American technology company Google started working on its self driving project in 2009 with testing the technology in Toyota Prius. This moved to Lexus RX450h in 2012, and in December 2014, they delivered the first real build of their prototype vehicle.

The cars use sensors and software to sense objects like pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and more. It has been involved in a lot of accidents also.

This company has supposedly built the world's first robot car, in the 1980s, together with team of Bundeswehr University Munich. In 2015, it has introduced the Vision Tokyo which is a 5-seater electric van powered by a hybrid hydrogen fuel-cell system.

Its electric hybrid system has a total range of 980 kilometres, of which 190 kilometres come out of battery-powered driving and around 790 kilometres from the electricity produced in the fuel cell.

The van features Deep Machine Learning and an intelligent Predictive Engine which means that with each journey the vehicle becomes more and more familiar with its occupants and their preferences.

Global supplier of vehicle technology Delphi Automotive has debuted its autonomous technology at Consumer Electronics Show 2015, in Audi SQ5. The company termed the vehicle as 'Roadrunner'.

The company is extensively testing its technology. The vehicle is well-equipped with six long-range radars, four short-range radars, three vision-based cameras, six lidars, a localization system, intelligent software algorithms and a full suite of Advanced Drive Assistance Systems.

With this technology, the company imagines a world free of road accidents.

Nissan started testing its ProPilot Autonomous Drive Technology in its 100% electric vehicle - LEAF, and the prototype was equipped with special features such as a millimeter wave radar, laser scanners, cameras, and a specialized HMI (Human Machine Interface) to support autonomous driving.

Nissan will introduce the ProPilot autonomous drive technology in all-new 5th-generation Serena which is going to be launched in Japan this month.

Audi started working on autonomous technology in 2004 when it attempted to navigate a desert tract in Barstow, california. But it failed at that time. In January 2015, Audi introduced its piloted driving concept in A7. The company has been performing tests at various locations, including on the race track.

Assistance systems like adaptive cruise control, active lane assist and others are all there in the concept.

In the USA, in Nevada and Florida, Audi was the first and is still the only carmaker to carry out test drives under real-world conditions.

The BMW iNEXT model will be the foundation for BMW Group’s autonomous driving strategy, and the company is going to bring this technology into series production by 2021. For this project, it recently entered into a partnership with Intel, and Mobileye.

The BMW i Vision Future Interaction is based on the BMW i8 Concept Spyder, where all functions can be controlled using touch-sensitive surfaces and gestures.

Its high-resolution Head-Up Display reflects the most important vehicle data onto the windscreen, while an instrument cluster displays other information three-dimensionally (autostereoscopically) – e.g. on vehicles travelling in front or oncoming vehicles which are not yet in the driver’s field of vision.

Self-driving Volvos are already on Swedish roads, and by 2017, real-world customers will be using 100 self-driving Volvos on public roads. It’s all part of Volvo Cars’ IntelliSafe approach. The all-new Volvo XC90 already has autonomous driving features, for instance, it has automatic braking at intersections.

Volvo regards autonomous driving as a key element in drive to implement its Vision 2020, which states that by the year 2020, no one will be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo.

All electric Tesla Model S which accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, comes with Autopilot capabilities.

Autopilot allows Model S to steer within a lane, change lanes with the simple tap of a turn signal, and manage speed by using active, traffic-aware cruise control.

Digital control of motors, brakes, and steering helps avoid collisions from the front and sides, and prevents the car from wandering off the road.

Autopilot also enables your car to scan for a parking space and parallel park on command.

First unveiled at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Faraday Future FFZERO1 Concept is inspired by NASA zero gravity design, the driver’s seat allows for a true sense of weightlessness.

A key element of FFZERO1 user experience (UX) is the vehicle’s user interface (UI), which visualizes velocity and the flow of data both to and from the vehicle in an intuitive, organic way.

The driver’s smartphone can be connected directly into the car, allowing for real-time data visualization and interaction.

The company's goal was to build a car with a sixth sense for its driver’s needs—an advanced vehicle that offers thorough personalization, seamless implementation of vehicle configurations, and effortless access to real-time data.

Fully autonomous, the Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100 is a “Grand Sanctuary” in which a virtual assistant, “Eleanor”, not only drives the vehicle but also fulfils the customer’s every wish throughout the journey.

The marque has developed the “Personal Vision” which will deliver unique coachbuilt bodies, exquisite handcraftsmanship and the finest materials, all on a zero emissions platform.

Supported by:

News ›

Passenger Vehicle / Commercial Vehicle / Two Wheelers / Automotive / Components / Industry / Tyres / Aftermarket / Policy / Auto Technology / People Movement / Oil & Lubes / New Launches / Raw Material / Financial Results / Auto Finance

Features ›

Trends / IndustrySpeak / International / Careers / Data & Analytics / Jobs / ETAuto TV / Autopreneur / Interviews / ETAuto Insights / Data / Reports

Other B2B News Sites ›

Retail News / Health News / Telecom News / Energy News / IT News / Real Estate News / Marketing & Advertising News / Technology News / IT Security News / Government News / ETMasterclass News / ET Campus Stars News / Textile News / Sports News / Hotelier News / Facilities News / Fashion News / ElectronicsWorld News / Salon News / Aviation News / WasteManagement News / Light News / Construction News / Packaging News / Safety News / Shipping News / Hospitality News / Travel News / HR News / Pharma News / Legal News / Virtual Conference News / BU News / Water News / Retail News / Virtual Conference News / Infra News