IN THE NEXT few weeks, some Pittsburghers will get a bunch of surprises when they call an Uber. First, the car will be a Volvo XC90—a luxury SUV a good deal fancier than the seemingly standard-issue Prius. Second, the ride will be free. And third, it’ll be driven by a robot.
Yes, Uber is launching a pilot fleet of autonomous Volvos in Steel City. The $300 million project, funded by the two companies, is the most aggressive implementation of autonomous driving ever (even when you take into account the fact that a person will still be sitting in the driver’s seat, ready to take over if the computer fails).
