Later this month in Texas
VW is putting autonomous cars on the road
7/7/2023 9:51 am
Equipped with cameras and radar technology, Volkswagen is testing autonomously driving cars in public for the first time. The vehicles are expected to be on some roads in Texas later this month. By 2026, they should come onto the market there regularly.
In July, Volkswagen will be testing autonomous cars on public roads for the first time in Austin, Texas. As announced by Volkswagen, the test program will start with two vehicles and expand to a fleet of ten ID. Buzz electric vans by the end of the year. The program is expected to expand to a larger Austin area over the next three years and eventually to at least four other US cities. By 2026, the autonomously driving Volkswagen will be available on the market in Austin.
The test vehicles will be equipped with autonomous driving technology developed by VW and Mobileye, including cameras, radar and lidar technology. In the initial phase, the vehicles are supervised by human drivers.
Pablo Di Si, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, described the launch as an important milestone. “Going forward, we will capitalize on the increasing demand for new mobility services and offer a truly compelling product with our iconic ID Buzz to support transportation services that American consumers can count on,” he said.
Austin was chosen as the test location because the city “is known for its willingness to innovate and offers a favorable climate for testing autonomous vehicles,” said Katrin Lohmann, president of Volkswagen Group of America. The program is the first step in a global strategy to offer fleets of autonomous vehicles “as a comprehensive service” to other companies, VW said. There are no plans for their own ride-sharing services. In addition to Volkswagen, other companies such as Alphabet subsidiary Waymo and GM subsidiary Cruise are experimenting with autonomous vehicles in Austin.