A New Class of Vehicle: Production-Ready Self-Driving

Introducing our latest self-driving vehicle in partnership with Volvo Cars, a world leader in automotive safety.

Since September 2016, Uber ATG and Volvo Cars have teamed up in a joint engineering partnership to develop several self-driving car prototypes. Today we announced our latest Volvo XC90 SUV, presented at this year’s Uber Elevate Summit. It is the third car we’ve developed together — and the first production car capable of fully driving itself.

Designed with a chassis ready to integrate Uber ATG’s self-driving system direct from the factory, this enhanced process has created a vehicle that can be deployed in self-driving mode on Uber’s network as part of an autonomous ridesharing service.

To deploy fully self-driving vehicles, it is critical that backup systems for steering, braking, and battery power are built-in. Our latest XC90 production vehicle has steering and braking system with redundant protection designed for a computer to control. If any of the primary systems should fail, the backup systems immediately act to bring the car safely to a stop.

When paired with Volvo’s vehicle platform, Uber’s robust self-driving system will one day allow for safe, reliable, autonomous ridesharing, without the need for a specially trained Uber employee operating and overseeing the car, known today as a Mission Specialist. This process will begin in small, pre-determined geographies in the cities ATG operates in and will grow over time as the vehicle’s capabilities expand.

Rider experience is fundamental to the design and development of this technology. A fully integrated passenger app is placed at the center of Volvo’s luxury interior, creating an informative and dynamic way for passengers to experience their self-driving trip. Environmental controls, trip details, and safety functions, including requests for assistance, are easily accessible from the app, ensuring riders’ comfort.

Working in close partnership with companies like Volvo Cars is key to effectively building a safe and scalable self-driving network. With the introduction of this vehicle into Uber ATG’s fleet, we are one step closer to thousands of autonomous, drive-ready production cars in the coming years.

To see more of our latest self-driving vehicles, head to our YouTube channel.