Volkswagen is focusing more resources on its autonomous vehicle development, with head of VW passenger cars Thomas Schafer saying he expects the brand’s self-driving cars will be globally mainstream by the end of the decade.
As reported by Autocar, Mr Schafer said Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles (CV) branch will lead the way when it comes to autonomy as Argo AI, VW and Ford’s former partner in autonomous driving technology, shuts down.
While Argo AI is ending operations, Volkswagen will push to continue employing staff under its own organisation.
Mr Schafer’s claims that VW’s autonomous vehicles will be mainstream by 2030 is backed by massive amounts of investment in the field through the company’s involvement with its automotive tech subsidiary Cariad, as well as engineering giant Bosch.
In the relatively short term, Volkswagen last month reconfirmed its goal to have a specific trial to have Hamburg ridesharing service MOIA running an autonomous VW.
“In 2025, customers are expected to be able to use MOIA to book the autonomously driving ID.Buzz in Hamburg in 2025,” said the brand.
More widely, VW expects the profitability of commercial vehicles to lead the way and eventually trickle down to make autonomous electric passenger vehicles more viable.
Autocar quotes Schafer explaining that the complexities of legislation and the specific technology required in different markets are the main hurdles to its goal, while the entire industry has been faced with economic turmoil, a pandemic, and supply chain issues.
“The technology is available and we are driving in Hamburg and Munich autonomously. The cost of the car is still prohibitive because so little of it gets manufactured. And there’s always the need to prove that the system drives better than a human. The legislation for it is enormous. It’s totally different from country to country,” he said.
“You have to put focus on [autonomous driving] and that is why we are pushing so hard in the CV division, because once it happens it opens up profit pools and opportunities. I wouldn’t say ‘winner takes it all’ but it’s a game that you need to be in early. You can not wait and then fast forward so that’s why we’re totally focusing on it.
“It’s not as trivial as it seems. It’s the legislation, the camera systems, the chips, the energy consumption and the speed of calculation. The car will be the biggest data collection device there is. It’s really complex.”
With Volkswagen no longer investing in Argo AI, Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said streamlining its autonomous development partnerships will speed up and further focus its efforts.
“Especially in the development of future technologies, focus and speed count. Our goal is to offer our customers the most powerful functions at the earliest possible time and to set up our development as cost-effectively as possible,” he said.
Keyword: Volkswagen autonomous cars will be common worldwide by 2030 says passenger cars CEO - report