Uber and Volvo announced the launch of their autonomous program in the streets of San Francisco, giving pretty much anyone in the area the chance to experience what a ride in a self-driving vehicle feels like.
That of course was before California regulators ordered Uber to pull the plug on its San Francisco-based autonomous program. Right before the ban occurred, The Verge released a video with their test ride in one of the Volvo XC90s that are part of Uber’s autonomous fleet.
Compared to the Ford Fusions they use in Pittsburg, the self-driving hardware on the Volvos is much more compact and integrated; now there are only seven cameras, down from 22 on the Fusion, and a 3D video camera for a wider field of vision.
The radar sensors are mounted behind the bumpers instead of protruding off the side of the car. Even the spinning LIDAR detector and the camera set is more compact and streamlined than before.
Uber’s self-driving service in San Francisco will always come with two safety engineers sitting at the front of the car, ready to take over when necessary.