First, it has an agreement with the Swedish automaker Volvo, controlled by the Chinese group Geely, providing for a joint investment of $ 300 million and use the same vehicle for their tests.
Uber and Volvo are already familiar with to be part of the same lobby in the United States whose goal is to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles, which raises not only technical problems but also legal and legal.
Volvo had started in 2014 to test an autonomous vehicle in the streets of the Swedish city of Gothenburg, and Uber did the same in the United States in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (east), even if it s’ in this case is a model of the Ford brand. It is in this qu’Uber City installed its research center on autonomous vehicles in 2015.
This partnership will soon have practical implications because Uber says to deploy by the end of this month a pilot project in Pittsburgh using autonomous cars. There will be a vehicle in the co-pilot but it will not lead, content to monitor operations.
Uber did not specify how many cars will be deployed, but the Wall Street Journal mentions a hundred Volvo XC90, the “ Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) ” the Swedish manufacturer . According to Uber, there will not be as Volvo, but also Ford.
The announcement, however, seems a bit premature since the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has not yet heard.
“ We expect to be informed by Uber of their projects. We have requested information but we have not received any request from them “, told the AFP Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, a spokesman. He stressed that this service could be implemented without the approval of the PUC.
– Security –
The decision to partner with Volvo in the autonomous car reflects the achievements of this manufacturer in the sector, but also his image linked to security, recognized Uber Thursday.
“ More than one million people die in car accidents each year (in the world, Ed). These are tragedies that autonomous driving technologies can help avoid, but we can not do it alone. That is why our partnership with a manufacturer like Volvo is so important. Volvo is a leader in terms of development and the top of the class when it comes to safety, “said the boss of Uber, Travis Kalanick.
But Uber does not stop there.
He also announced Thursday the acquisition of the California start-up Otto, which develops software for autonomous vehicles.
One of the co-founders of Otto, Anthony Levandowski, will now be responsible for directing the efforts of Uber in the development of vehicles without drivers, said Travis Kalanick in a blog.
The amount of the acquisition was not specified, so Uber Otto is not publicly traded, but the American press evokes nearly 700 million.
Otto, which employs about 90 people, was known in May by announcing that he was working on an autonomous driving software for trucks.
Its founders, Anthony Levandowski and Lior Ron, respectively worked in the past on projects without Google Car driver Car and Google Maps mapping. Mr. Levandowski also designed in the past autonomous motorcycle.
“ If this sounds like something big is that it is one ” Mr. Kalanick said. “ Together we have one of the best teams of engineers in the area of autonomous vehicles in the world .”
The autonomous cars are one of the most advanced sectors in automotive research, manufacturers vying for your car to present able to stand and move themselves.
The American Ford and the German BMW have recently set the goal of mass production in 2021.
In addition to traditional manufacturers, Internet giants as Alphabet (Google) and Apple are also in the running.
Many of these actors have said consider using autonomous vehicles as part of on-demand services (taxi, carpooling or car sharing).
According to their promoters, such vehicles will not only reduce road deaths, but also to improve traffic flow and reduce traffic pollution.
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