After the completion of a testing phase with road pilots in Germany and the USA, Volkswagen ADMT GmbH, part of Volkswagen AG, has announced a cooperation agreement with software supplier Mobileye to provide solutions for its self-driving vehicles.
Under the terms of the agreement, Mobileye will develop and supply software, hardware components and digital maps for Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz model, as part of its provision of a self-driving system (SDS).
The autonomous vehicle (AV) has been under development since 2021, according to the carmaker, and meets the requirements of the Level 4 definition of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), wherein the vehicle can drive itself in certain defined areas.
The SDS will comprise software and hardware components, including two independent high-performance computers, plus 13 cameras, nine lidar and five radar units, each of which can reportedly produce a 360-degree visual of the car’s surroundings.
What’s more, a constant online connection to the cloud has been established to ensure the vehicle can use swarm data from other road users, supporting on-board decision-making and 3D mapping.
“Bringing autonomous shuttles on the road in large quantities requires cooperation from strong partners,” says Christian Senger, member of the board of management at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, which is responsible for autonomous driving.
“We are developing the first fully autonomous large- scale production vehicle, and Mobileye brings its digital driver on board.”
Volkswagen ADMT GmbH hopes to develop the fully-electric autonomous ID. Buzz AD for mobility service use by 2026. Unlike individual autonomous cars used by independent vehicle owners, mobility services are dedicated to transporting passengers to their desired destinations within a defined area.
Volkswagen has also expressed interest in utilising the technology for logistics services, such as delivery or e-commerce fulfilment.
