The Autonomous Volvo 360c - Why fly when you can be driven?
The future of autonomous travel could well be here..
As society changes the car industry follows suit and, where possible, offers something that turns how we interact with travel entirely on its head.
That is what Volvo are striving to do with their latest offering. The manufacturer that gifted the seatbelt to the world, are synonymous with safety and can boast that not one fatality has ever been recorded in their SUV (the XC90) in 16 years are once again shaking up the industry.
The 360c is Volvo's vision of what autonomous travel could and should look like. With absolutely no driver the 360c challenges the current concept of travel, city planning, infrastructure and how human beings impact the environment around us.
Fully connected with the world around it - the 360c sets safety standards.
As a completely driverless vehicle, Volvo say the 360c can offer a range of services and uses to people who choose to travel within it’s beautifully crafted body. By removing the traditional combustion engine, rows of seats and the steering wheel, it allows the space to be used in a plethora of ways previously unimaginable. Essentially Volvo have delivered the possibility of having a travelling office, entertainment space and even sleeping area all on four wheels. Passengers can get on with whatever they like in comfort and safety while the car drifts along taking care of getting you from A to B.
Imagine sleeping in the car while you travel.
Volvo wouldn’t be Volvo without chucking in a huge amount of safety and they say that the 360c will set the standard on how the future world of autonomous vehicles will safely communicate with each other and whatever else is sharing the road.
It all sounds very interesting and opens the doors to changing how we interpret travel, with short haul flights firmly in the sights of Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Cars “The business will change in the coming years, and Volvo should lead that change of our industry. Autonomous drive will allow us to take the next big step in safety, but also open up exciting new business models and allow consumers to spend time in the car doing what they want to do.”
With 740 million people in the US alone making short haul flights, Volvo think these travellers are a prime segment of the market who would benefit from the kind of service the 360c offers and they may well be on to something.
It was only a matter of time before Volvo entered the world of autonomous travel and time will tell just how much of an impact the 360c conversation will have on the industry as a whole but it is a very strong start.
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Comments (32)
That would be a good pub car.
I like the way you think.
Come on. This is for folks that don’t want and/or are not able to drive. I am hopefully old enough to never be forced to drive one of these buggys. My hearse has a V8.
Don't opt for James May mode
Heck no haha
You might be spending your whole life in the car
I refently bought a manual with an n/a V8 because I enjoy driving. But having driven that same car this past Friday from one city to another 3 hours away (on the Friday before Labor Day long weekend when every U-Haul in the country is on the road and every driver afraid of highways is travelling the same roads making their annual end-of-summer pilgrimage to their beloved family retreat) which this time took 4.5 hours.... I can for the first time in my life see where an autonomous vehicle like this would be beneficial.
If horses could tweet, they would probably have sent these comments to Henry Ford