# All About Volvo's 'Drive Me' Self-Driving Cars

2015 volvo v60

Volvo is rapidly moving forward with their ‘Drive Me’ project, which features 100 Volvo cars that are capable of self-driving on public roads in everyday driving conditions. The first cars are driving around the city of Gothenburg in Sweden, and so far the sophisticated Autopilot technology seems to be performing well.

Currently the cars are able to handle lane following, speed adaption, and merging traffic all on their own. The aim is that the final ‘Drive Me’ cars will be able to drive the whole test route in highly autonomous mode, or basically by themselves. The Autopilot will allow the driver to hand the driving duties over to the vehicle, which would be capable of taking care of all driving functions.

The unique aspect of the ‘Drive Me’ project is that it includes everyone who’s involved in using and maintaining the cars and roads: legislators, transport authorities, a major city, a vehicle manufacturer and real customers. ‘Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility’ is a joint project involving the Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg, and endorsed by the Swedish Government.

The 100 cars in the project will be driven by customer in everyday driving conditions on approximately 50 kilometers (around 31 miles) of selected roads in and around Gothenburg. These roads are typical commuter arteries, and include conditions such as freeway cruising and stop and go traffic. The project should provide the participants with valuable insight into the societal benefits of making autonomous vehicles a natural part of the traffic environment. According to Erik Coelingh, Senior Technical Leader for Safety and Driver Support Technologies at Volvo Car Corporation, “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.”