The two German giants Volkswagen and Bosch have decided to join forces to develop level 2 and 3 automated driving functionalities in the short term, then level 4.
Volkswagen and Bosch announced on Tuesday morning that they have entered into a partnership to jointly develop autonomous driving features applicable in all vehicle categories. These should allow drivers to temporarily take your hands off the wheel “, announce the two companies. It is through its software subsidiary Cariad that the German manufacturer Volkswagen will give life to its partnership with Bosch.
Democratizing autonomous driving for all types of vehicles
Bosch and Volkswagen do not intend to address a niche market. No, it is indeed all the vehicles sold under the Wolfsburg brand that will benefit from the fruits of the collaboration between the two manufacturers. Initially, it will be a question of developing autonomous level 2 and level 3 functionalities.
Level 2 autonomous systems will allow the driver to briefly take their hands off the wheel in town, country and on the highway. Those of level 3 will offer the driver real autonomy on the highway. Remember that at this level, the driver can regain control of his vehicle at any time, but can delegate to the latter acceleration, braking, steering and also monitoring.
Together, Cariad and Bosch will develop an advanced standardized software platform that will help democratize autonomous functions currently reserved for high-end vehicles, while leaving (accuracy is important) the possibility for the driver to take control at any time. . ” With Cariad, we will now accelerate the bringing to market of partially and highly automated driving functions on all classes of vehicles, and thus make them accessible to everyone. says Bosch Board Member Markus Heyn.
Collect as much field data as possible to think about the level 4 autonomous car
Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of Cariad, says: ” Automated driving is key to the future of our industry “. The two partners announce that as such, more than 1,000 joint experts will work around this future stand-alone software.
As such, the two partners are counting on the launch of their autonomous functionalities to constitute a gigantic database filled with data captured in real time. This data will come from one of the largest vehicle fleets on the planet and start exploring Level 4, which literally gives the driver the ability to let themselves be driven and let the car roll if something goes wrong. The era of “fully automated” is here. The two partners explain that “ each kilometer traveled in real traffic conditions, evaluated and treated accordingly, means a larger pool of data and a better base from which we can establish even higher levels of autonomous driving, to transpose them safely and reliably on the roads “.
For its part, the Bosch equipment manufacturer does not refrain from extending its software platform to its other customers in the automotive sector.
Source: Bosch and Cariad
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