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Volkswagen’s Electric Kombi Aims to Stand Out in the Market as the ‘Best Autonomous Car in the World’. The Automaker is Working Hard to Ensure That Investments Made Are Sufficient to Achieve Such Feat
Volkswagen announced this week that it will invest £1.9 billion, around R$14 billion, so that the electric Kombi can be considered the best model of autonomous car in the world. The investment made by Volkswagen was in the startup Argo AI, which specializes in autonomous electric vehicles. The startup will be responsible for creating the technology for Volkswagen’s new electric Kombi, which will be called ‘ID. BUZZ’.
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Launch Forecast for ‘ID. BUZZ’
Volkswagen confirmed that the official launch of the ‘ID. BUZZ’ will be next year, 2022. However, the plan to make the ID. BUZZ a fully autonomous electric car will take a bit longer, as the forecast for it to “drive itself” is by 2025.
Once the electric Kombi is launched, the vehicle is expected to be level 3 in autonomous functionality, where a human driver can take control of the vehicle. However, it is estimated that by 2030, an update will be made to the electric Kombi, advancing it to level 4.
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Volkswagen Aims to Make Electric Kombi the ‘Best Car in the World’
According to Volkswagen, over the next four years, a ride-sharing scheme with the ID. BUZZ will be initiated, which will already come equipped with an autonomous driving system. Tests on the electric Kombi are currently being conducted on a track available only to Volkswagen in Munich, Germany.
Volkswagen estimates that the ID. BUZZ model will soon be taken to major public roads. This ride-sharing system will be managed by Volkswagen’s mobility sector, called Moia. This mobility sector of Volkswagen also manages the ride-sharing service using a customized electric minibus.
The automaker aims to make its electric Kombi the best car in the world for its customers, and therefore has been making significant investments to make this a reality.
Enhanced User Experience with Volkswagen Electric Kombi
Among the various tests conducted, it was observed that a version of the prototype model displayed in October of this year had a series of sensors mounted on its roof, one of which is the LiDAR sensor, which has a longer operational range, capable of identifying complex hazards, such as black cars obscured up to 400 meters.
According to Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess, the automaker is closely pursuing the highest levels of complexity possible in the tests being conducted on the electric Kombi.
Bryan Salesky, founder and CEO of Argo AI, reported that the autonomous ride-sharing system to be installed in the Kombi is expected to have greater viability and interest in major city centers, particularly for use by companies from all sectors that conduct deliveries in cities and will also be a great ally in providing alternative passenger transport services.
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