VW plans to put self-driving cars on the streets of Austin, the capital of Texas, later this month. It is the first time that the company is tackling such a project in the USA.

A total of ten units of the VW ID. Buzz with autonomous driving technology will be deployed. Tests in Germany are also likely to start at the same time, but the number of vehicles involved hasn’t been announced.

Catching up

At the moment, VW, like most car companies, is lagging behind in autonomous driving in the U.S. Companies like Waymo, for example, are already much further, specifically in the USA. In this case, the vehicles are already driving entirely without a driver in some U.S. cities. In VW’s case, a supervisor will remain behind the wheel.

The company will kick off its program with a batch of 10 all-electric ID. Buzz vehicles outfitted with an autonomous driving (AD) technology platform developed by the global Volkswagen Group in partnership with technology company Mobileye, which includes cameras, radar, and lidar technology. All vehicles will be staffed with supervising human drivers at all times throughout this initial test phase.

Testing will continue until 2026. The aim is that self-driving electric vehicles will then be put on the road. Until then, the Texas test fleet will continue to grow, and the test will be extended to four other American cities.

Long-term investments

“Expanding our autonomous vehicle program to the North American Region is the next step in our global strategic roadmap and the result of a long-term collaborative investment”, said Christian Senger, a Member of the board of management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles with responsibility for the development of autonomous driving.

“Moving into this next phase will help us test, validate and refine the technology, bring us closer to establishing commercially available transportation offerings, and eventually grow the diverse mobility portfolio for the Volkswagen Group.”

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) has established a subsidiary named Volkswagen ADMT, LLC to support the rollout of its autonomous driving vehicle program, with teams in Belmont, California, and Austin, Texas. The company also plans to employ team members who worked with Argo AI.

“We are excited and ready to roll out our autonomous pilot and test fleet in Austin”, said Katrin Lohmann, CEO of Volkswagen ADMT, LLC. “We selected Austin as the first U.S. hub, as the city has a track record for embracing innovation and offers a conducive climate for the testing of autonomous vehicles. We are committed to continuing an open and collaborative dialogue with the city and its diverse stakeholders.”