Uber Technologies unveiled its newest Volvo self-driving car in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.
Uber said they XC90s will still have human controls such as steering wheels and brake pedals, while packing factory-installed steering and braking systems designed for computer control.
In the past, Uber had purchased about 250 Volvo XC90s and retrofitted them for self-driving use. These new SVUs are known by the internal code number 519G and have been under development for several years
The new vehicle also has several backup systems for both steering and braking systems along with battery backup power and new cybersecurity systems.
Uber already take ownership of around a dozen prototypes of the new vehicle but has not yet put them into service on the roads of the DC metro area. In December, Uber resumed limited self-driving car testing on public roads in Pittsburgh, nine months after it suspended the program following a deadly accident in Arizona.
Volvo Cars, which parent firm is China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding, will use a similar autonomous vehicle concepts in its first commercially in the early 2020s.
