A hybrid Ford Fusion, equipped with self-driving technology, is paving the road for Uber’s future fleet of autonomous vehicles.
Dubbed Uber ATC, the car is currently being tested on the streets of Pittsburgh, equipped with radars, high-resolution cameras and laser scanners to map details of the environment, but despite its self-driving capabilities, a trained driver sits behind the wheel, monitoring operations, according to Uber’s blog post.
With an upcoming fleet of autonomous cars, the ride-sharing company’s goal is to “improve quality life for people around the world”, as Uber writes, focusing on more affordable and accessible transportation, less congestion and a decreased number of car accidents in which 1.3 million people lose their lives annually – 94 percent of those involving human error.
“We’re excited that Uber has chosen the Steel City as they explore new technologies that can improve people’s lives — through increased road safety, less congestion, and more efficient and smarter cities“, said the Mayor of Pittsburgh, William Peduto.
Uber is still in its early days / stages of self-driving and the technology is being developed as we speak, but if everything goes according to plan, then we might see roughly 100,000 autonomous vehicles in 10-15 years, which would allow the company to regain profitability by eliminating…drivers, one of its highest expenses.
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