Volvo gets green light for self-driving car tests on Swedish roads

Drivers on the Swedish E4, E6 or road number 40 may soon come across self-driving Volvos. The Swedish transport authority has given Zenuity, a joint venture between Volvo Cars and Veoneer, approval to do tests on those roads.

Essential information

The tests, performed by trained drivers with their hands off the steering wheel at a maximum speed of 80km/h, will be used to finetune software for level 4 autonomous driving (the second highest level, capable of driving on most roads in most conditions).

The approved routes are the E4 between Stockholm and Malmö, the E6 between Gothenburg and Malmö and road 40 between Jönköping and Gothenburg.

“The approval to do real-life tests is essential for gathering important data and test functions. It is a strong proof-point for the progress of Zenuity’s self-driving capabilities,” says Nishant Batra, Veoneer’s Chief Technology Officer.

Veoneer and Zenuity

Veoneer designs and manufacturers products for active safety, autonomous driving and occupant control.

Zenuity was formed by Volvo and Veoneer in 2017 and it is expected to have its first driver-assistance products on the market by 2019 with autonomous driving technologies following shortly thereafter.

Volvo has stated it aims at delivering self-driving cars by 2021 and getting a third of its sales from fully autonomous vehicles by 2025.

Image: Zenuity Volvo with self-driving equipment (source: Zenuity)