Chinese transportation firm DIDI agreed to use Volvo XC90 SUVs for its autonomous driving test fleet.
Started in 2012, Didi is a ride-share application-based platform in China. It offers various range of commuting options, including taxi services and carpooling with both cars and bikes. The company has proved to be exponentially successful in the Chinese market, overtaking Uber China in 2016. Now, Didi seeks a valuation worth $100 billion in an initial public offering.
Volvo will be supplying Didi with its full-size SUV XC90 equipped with all necessary self-driving backup functions, including steering and braking systems. Didi will further integrate it with the required software and its latest hardware system, Gemini. The new hardware system will have Lidar scanners, thermal cameras, a fallback system, and remote-control assistance.
Didi stated that the blend of Volvo’s safety features with its latest Gemini hardware would facilitate a safe riding culture for robot taxis. Meanwhile, Volvo’s backup system will put the car to a safe stop in case of any failure of the technical systems or any other emergency.
“DiDi Gemini, our new self-driving hardware platform incorporates critical hardware improvements from our test passenger service operations in Shanghai,” said Bob Zhang, Didi’s chief technology officer.
“With Volvo Cars’ leadership in safety, we look forward to achieving new milestones towards future autonomous transport services,” he finished.
This is not the first time that Volvo collaborates with a transportation company. Earlier, the Swedish automaker had been linked with Uber; however, the collaboration was discarded due to an accident caused by one of Uber’s prototypes, resulting in the death of a pedestrian.
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