Volvo’s autonomous cars travel 124 miles in Spain in ‘road train’
May 31, 2012
Automated cars pass road-train test on public highways in Spain (credit: Volvo Car Corporation)
Volvo has tested its fuel-saving”road train” technology on public roads in Spain, finding the historic test “highly successful.”
Volvo used one lead vehicle and four trailing vehicles — consisting of a Volvo S60, a Volvo V60 and a Volvo XC60 plus a truck — that drove autonomously for 200 kilometers (124 miles) at 85 kilometers an hour (53 miles per hour) on the roads outside Barceolona.
Existing safety systems enhanced by wireless communication
Building on Volvo Car Corporation’s and Volvo Technology’s already existing safety systems — including features such as cameras, radar and laser sensors — the vehicles monitored the lead vehicle and also other vehicles in their immediate vicinity.
By adding in wireless communication, the vehicles in the platoon “mimic” the lead vehicle using Ricardo UK’s autonomous control — accelerating, braking and turning in exactly the same way as the leader.
“Everything should function without any infrastructure changes to the roads or expensive additional components in the cars,” said Linda Wahlström, project manager for the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project at Volvo Car Corporation. ”Apart from the software developed as part of the project, it is really only the wireless network installed between the cars that set them apart from other cars available in showrooms today.”
Goals: safety, fuel reduction, comfort
The technology is designed to “improve traffic safety, reduce environmental impact and — thanks to smooth speed control — cut the risk of traffic tailbacks (rear-ending),” said Wahlström.
The three-year SARTRE project has been under way since 2009. All told, the vehicles in the project have covered about 10,000 kilometers.
After the test on the public roads in Spain, the project is now entering a new phase with the focus on analysis of fuel consumption. Volvo has estimated that road trains as in the SARTRE project could reduce fuel costs by up to 20 percent.
The project also aims to deliver improved comfort for drivers, who can now spend their time doing other things while driving. They can “work on their laptops, read a book or sit back and enjoy a relaxed lunch.”
Comments (6)
by PirateRo
I think this took too long in coming. I remember simple radar-driven devices demonstrated in the 1970s that did nothing more than apply the brakes to prevent people from smash ups. That technology never saw the light of day until DARPA’s grand challenge kicked people in their complacency to roll out technology they had all been sitting on for decades. We need many more kicks like that.
by Dennis R.
I’d like to see what happens when they move from highway driving to urban driving. I’d also like to see them traveling at higher rates of speed. Fuel economy is important, but so is saving time. (Less time on the road means fewer cars causing gridlock.
And is it possible for the “driver” to move out of the driver’s seat once the car is part of the “train?” Isn’t trying to read with that steering wheel right in front of you a temptation to treat it as nothing more than a book-rest? What happens if you inadvertently turn the wheel while turning pages?
I agree that machines can probably do much of the task of driving as well– if not better– than humans. But this seems to be a small leap forward, not a large one.
by Cybernettr
Most likely once the technology is perfected, the steering wheel will be removed from all equipped cars. There might be an emergency steering mechanism somewhere, but that will be more for the reassurance of the rider more than anything else. I can even see the day when the front seats will pivot, allowing the front passengers to face the rear ones while the car is in transit.
by SEHBAC Solar
Such an amazing experiment. Reducing environmental impact AND increasing road saftey – double bonus.
by Bri
Mo
by Bri
Sorry about that I’m using a cell phone and at times it has a mind of it’s own. Most of these low level jobs( trucking , busing, taxi, delivery, etc.) will be gone In the blink of an eye. What the vast majority of people will do to make a living will be gone. I can’t wait till I don’t have to deal with the lunacy of human drivers, or DWI or traffic jambs because people drive their cars as if they are sitting on their living room couch. Calling or testing friends. Please understand our society is experiencing a heart attack. Very soon there will be no life giving blood flow to a vast segment of our society. They in pain wlll rise up and lash out, like a drowning person will often imperil a life guard trying to save them. Like a birth pang, as the new paradim takes hold. But again it will be far better. Every day my life is imperiled by inept drivers.