Uber agreed to purchase a slew of Volvos as it expands its self-driving fleet.
The 24,000 Volvo XC90 SUVs will be purchased 2019–2021, and the ride-hailing service will install its own sensors and software once it receives the cars. The deal is valued at $1.4 billion.
“This new agreement puts us on a path toward mass-produced, self-driving vehicles at scale,” said Jeff Miller, head of auto alliances, Uber. “The more people working on the problem, we’ll get there faster and with better, safer, more reliable systems.”
Uber already uses self-driving XC90 cars in Arizona, Pittsburgh and San Francisco, but the future cars will differ in that they won’t require a human safety driver on board.
Uber also announced new tools to improve the pick-up process, including a live location feature and special windshield colors.
“The rendezvous point between rider and driver is one of the most stress-inducing parts [of the trip]. Often times you’re on the street, it might be cold, you’re looking around. It could be dark,” said Nundu Janakiram, product lead, Uber. “Riders kept telling us that they were basically trying to verbally [describe] their GPS point.”
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