A Hundred Self-Driving Volvos To Be Tested By Consumers In 2017

The most generous estimates have put self-driving cars on public streets sometime in 2017. That original estimate stemmed from Google’s self-driving car initiative during the spring of 2014. After Google unveiled its pod-shaped, low-speed self-driving concoction, CNET reported prototypes would be available to the public between 2017 and 2020. No one knows if that’s going to happen except Google. However, another automaker has announced they will create an autonomous vehicle, which will be ready for consumer testing by 2017.

Volvo, a brand known for years for its safety, may have taken the lead in the race to put the first self-driving car in the hands of consumers. In a press release put out by Volvo, Dr. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at the Volvo car group said, “Autonomous driving will fundamentally change the way we look at driving. In the future, you will be able to choose between autonomous and active driving. This transforms everyday commuting from lost time to quality time, opening up new opportunities for work and pleasure.”

Those new opportunities will occur when drivers turn control of their vehicle over to Volvo’s system. That is, of course except for a few exceptional situations. Volvo is reportedly planning to pilot a program called “Drive Me.” The initiative will place 100 vehicles with complete self-driving capabilities in the hands of consumers in Gotheburg, Sweden. The vehicles will be used on select roads and give the consumers the chance to pilot test autonomous technology in lieu of testing by auto experts or automaker employees. Dr. Mertens said this test is unprecedented. “Taking the exciting step to a public pilot, with the ambition to enable ordinary people to sit behind the wheel in normal traffic on public roads, has never been done before,” Dr. Mertens explained.

According to Volvo, the vehicles will use self-driving technology based on a, “network of sensors, cloud-based positioning systems and intelligent braking and steering technologies.” The technology setup includes 28 cameras and numerous lasers, and at least 12 ultrasonic sensors. Also required to get this project off the ground was approval from the government of Sweden as well as the city of Gothenberg, but what can be done about getting consumers, whether they are in Sweden, Japan or the United States to accept self-driving technology. If drivers controlling their vehicles see others reading books or surfing the web while their car take the wheel, will they feel safe? How long will the acceptance process take?

An insurance.com survey published in July of 2014 found that 22.4 percent respondents would buy a vehicle with fully autonomous capabilities, whereas 24.5 percent of those surveyed said that they would never consider it. However, if there was an 80 percent reduction on car insurance for piloting a self-driving car, the acceptance rate goes up to 36.6 percent while the number of those who would never buy an autonomous vehicle drops to 13.7 percent. Consumers seem to be weary both of the safety of putting your life into the hands of a computer system and the risks and liabilities associated with that computer getting into an accident.

As for Volvo, they have addressed in part the liability involved with self-driving vehicle accidents. Anders Eugensson, the Director of Government Affairs at Volvo cars, told CNET that when a self-driving car is being manually driven, the driver would be at fault in an accident. But, if the car is in autonomous mode and causes a crash, Volvo will take responsibility. While it doesn’t have answers to every question such as how self-driving cars will be accepted, Volvo has put themselves right at the forefront of self-driving technology development.

What do you think will be the biggest challenges facing those who want consumers to accept self-driving cars? What would make them easier or perhaps harder to sell? Are fully autonomous cars a positive or negative thing for the retail automotive industry?