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Ford, Volvo, Google, Uber and Lyft form self-driving alliance

Five companies arguably leading the worldwide effort to develop autonomous cars said Tuesday they're forming an organization to lobby the federal government to better prepare America's roads for self-driving technology. The founding members include some of the biggest companies in the automotive, autonomous, and ride-sharing realms – Ford, Google, Lyft, Uber and Volvo. Operating as the "Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets," they aim to work with lawmakers and regulators to clarify a disparate set of rules and regulations at both the state and federal levels that could hinder the deployment of autonomous cars. "The U.S. risks losing its leading position due to the lack of federal guidelines for the testing and certification of autonomous vehicles." – Hakan Samuelsson David Strickland, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who issued the first set of autonomous-related policies in that role (pictured below), will serve as the group's counsel and spokesperson. "The best path for this innovation is to have one clear set of federal standards, and the Coalition will work with policymakers to find the right solutions that will facilitate the deployment of self-driving vehicles," he said in a written statement. In January, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said his department would accelerate efforts to craft such federal standards. Those efforts include holding two public hearings on standards, the second of which is scheduled to be held Wednesday in Palo Alto, California. Foxx signaled the intent to deliver them by June. Google has been leading the efforts to ensure such standards are national in scope, warning their cars could run afoul of state-specific laws should they cross state borders or if standards varies between the federal efforts and regional ones. The complexity of such efforts was underscored recently, when NHTSA agreed that Google's software could be considered the driver of a vehicle for the purpose of meeting federal motor vehicle standards, an interpretation that would conflict with preliminary California rules that mandate a licensed driver operate a self-driving car that comes equipped with human controls like a steering wheel and brakes. At South By Southwest last month, Jennifer Haroon, Google's self-driving car business leader, said the company couldn't accomplish its goals under those regulations.

Volvo at CES announces Ride Pilot autonomy coming to California, deeper Google integration

Volvo just made a number of technology announcements at this year’s CES. We learned more about the companyÂ’s efforts toward autonomy, and in the near term, VolvoÂ’s infotainment system is getting some noteworthy updates. WeÂ’ll start with autonomy, and the system that Volvo is calling “Ride Pilot.” Volvo says itÂ’s working with the autonomous driving software company Zenseact and Luminar to bring more autonomy to its future vehicles. Today, it announced that the “Ride Pilot” system that will ultimately arise from this collaboration will first be offered to customers in California before rolling it out in other regions. Volvo is limiting initial use to California, because it says "the climate, traffic conditions and regulatory framework provide a favorable environment for the introduction of autonomous driving." The system will take full control of the car when it's on. That means the driver can do what they want, not limited to reading, writing or working, Volvo says. "The name ‘Ride PilotÂ’ implies what the driver can expect: when the car is driving on its own, Volvo Cars takes responsibility for the driving, offering the driver comfort and peace of mind," Volvo explains. ItÂ’ll be available as an add-on subscription service to a fully electric SUV that will be revealed later this year. How much it will cost per month or per year is still a mystery, but you wonÂ’t be able to factor it in with the standard purchase price of the vehicle. Said EV will be equipped with five radars, eight cameras and sixteen ultrasonic sensors. Testing for the above autonomy system is set to take place in California by the middle of this year, and itÂ’s already ongoing in Sweden and across Europe. Only once Volvo says it's verified for use on highways will this feature be available to subscribe to. Volvo does not provide a year estimate on the initial rollout. Google and Android Automotive update Volvo cars with the Google-based Android Automotive infotainment system will soon be integrated with the Google Home ecosystem and Google Assistant-enabled devices. This should give you greater ability to control your car with any Google Assistant device in your home. You could theoretically set charging scheduling (for an EV or PHEV), lock your doors or start the car via voice command — for more sensitive commands like unlocking the car, Volvo says it will require a two-factor authentication.

2015 Volvo XC90 is the Swedish future

It's been months since the Concept XC Coupe debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, Volvo's last show car previewing its all-new 2015 XC90. But the production model is finally here after years of development, and it signals the future of the Swedish automaker with its Scalable Product Architecture modular platform and cutting-edge new engine family.
The 2015 XC90 carries all-new styling, but is still familiar up front, with the company's logo slashing diagonally through its prominent, upright grille. Like the concept, it carries T-Shaped LED running lights through the headlights. The company calls them the "Thor's Hammer" design, an evocative designation that we think is fantastic. Under that new front end is a choice of two quite powerful, but very efficient powertrains. The standard XC90 gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged engine with all-wheel drive making an impressive 316 horsepower. Or if buyers want to be a little greener and more powerful, there is the XC90 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid with the same engine, albeit augmented with an electric motor to produce a staggering 400 hp.
The exterior styling is crisp, if not quite as sensual as Volvo's latest concepts, but we think the interior is the real star here, with a dashboard that looks like it came out of a Herman Miller catalog and a unique vertically oriented infotainment screen integrated into its center stack, perhaps taking a cue from Tesla. If the cabin feels as good as it looks, we think a lot of sales are going to be won inside.