Volvo Automobiles and self-driving sensor maker Luminar Applied sciences Inc stated Wednesday {that a} hands-free driving system known as “Journey Pilot” might be first launched in California, although the businesses didn’t give a selected date.
Volvo is planning to deploy the expertise, which can enable the automobile to completely take over driving duties in some restricted conditions, in a forthcoming all-electric SUV that Volvo plans to announce later this yr.
Volvo plans to supply the self-driving function as a subscription improve to prospects after automobiles have already hit the highway. The corporate has not set a date for when Journey Pilot might be obtainable.
As a substitute, it has stated Journey Pilot is not going to be turned on for purchasers till it has undergone a “rigorous verification and testing protocol” that features “validation of the expertise as protected to be used on highways in quite a lot of various situations.”
The businesses stated they need to start testing Journey Pilot later this yr in California, pending regulatory approvals.
Luminar will present what is called a lidar sensor, a key a part of the system that helps the automobile acquire a three-dimensional map of the highway. However the automobile can even depend on an array of 5 radar sensors, eight cameras and sixteen ultrasonic sensors, all tied along with software program from Swedish agency Zensact.