Volkswagen to accelerate autonomous commercial vehicle development
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) says it is to accelerate its autonomous and electric driving development projects, with Carsten Intra, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, stating, “With the confirmation of the group’s supervisory board for our autonomous driving R&D program, we are setting the course for the future of mobility. Autonomous, electric driving will make an important contribution to urban mobility and road safety. Our vehicles are the logical first choice to apply such systems to.”
To this end, VWCV is currently developing autonomous systems for traffic use, to be introduced by 2025. Christian Senger, head of autonomous driving, added, “This year, for the first time, we are conducting field trials in Germany, in which the self-driving system by Argo AI will be used in a version of the future ID. BUZZ by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The aim is to develop a ride-hailing and pooling concept similar to what MOIA offers today. In the middle of this decade, our customers will have the opportunity to be taken to their destination in selected cities by autonomous vehicles.”
As part of a cooperation agreement, Ford and VWCV have invested equally in Argo AI, a company specialized in software platforms for autonomous driving. The goal is to realize consistent and fast development and use of autonomous systems. In addition to an initial investment of US$1bn, Volkswagen has brought its subsidiary AID (Autonomous Intelligent Driving) into Argo AI. With the budget for autonomous driving now confirmed by the VW supervisory board, VWCV says it is taking the next significant step toward the future of autonomous mobility.