Swedish self-driving car trial begins

The age of motorists manually driving cars is approaching a crossroads and Volvo's self-driving car project, dubbed 'Drive Me', has begun its first real-world testing phase.

Volvo has hit the 'go' button on its newest autonomous driving technology, putting the Drive Me system to the test on public roads in Sweden with a small number of prototype vehicles.

It will culminate in a fleet of 100 self-driving vehicles by 2017, in what Volvo says will be the world's first large-scale auto-driving car fleet.

The prototype cars are fitted with special equipment that allows occupants to relinquish the steering wheel and other controls in certain scenarios, says Volvo.

"The test cars are now able to handle lane following, speed adaption and merging traffic all by themselves," explains Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Group.

"This is an important step towards our aim that the final 'Drive Me' cars will be able to drive the whole test route in highly autonomous mode. The technology, which will be called Autopilot, enables the driver to hand over the driving to the vehicle, which takes care of all driving functions," he said.

Volvo's dream of developing cars that result in zero deaths or serious injuries by 2020 hinges not only on airbags and super-strong crash structures, but autonomous driving.

Autonomous driving technology is not new, however, and Volvo is not the only company planning on having self-driving cars by the end of the decade.

Ford, Nissan, Renault, Audi and several other third parties including Google are just a few of the names developing the hardware and software needed for autonomous cars that can navigate their way through dynamic traffic environments without coming a cropper.

Vehicular self-driving technology is far from being perfected and there are still many legal issues that must be overcome. That said, Volvo's latest initiative appears to be blazing a trail by involving what it calls "all the key players", including transport authorities, legislators, a major city, a vehicle manufacturer and "real" customers.

When the full public test begins in 2017, it will see all 100 cars driven by Volvo customers on "selected roads in and around Gothenburg" on a 50km route.

"That Volvo Cars' hometown of Gothenburg becomes the world's first arena for self-driving cars in everyday driving conditions demonstrates both our technological leadership and Sweden's dedication to pioneering the integration of self-driving vehicles," stated Coelingh.

"This public pilot will provide us with a valuable insight into the societal benefits of making autonomous vehicles a natural part of the traffic environment.

"Our smart vehicles are a key part of the solution, but a broad societal approach is vital to offer sustainable personal mobility in the future. This unique cross-functional co-operation is the key to a successful implementation of self-driving vehicles," said Coelingh.

Already a handful of test cars are currently zipping around Sweden of their own accord, which isn't made any easier by the abundance of snow. However, Volvo says its first test cars fitted with Autopilot technology are "performing well".

But not all car-makers are rushing to be the first to develop a road-legal autonomous car. Toyota says it has no interest in commercialising self-driving cars.

This begs the question: would you rather drive a Toyota than have a Volvo drive you?