Volkswagen Has Started Testing Autonomous Cars In US

The Volkswagen Group has started testing autonomous cars in Austin, Texas in the US. This will be the first autonomous driving test programme for the group using a small fleet of ID.Buzz vehicles equipped with autonomous driving technology developed by both Volkswagen and MobilEye, the Intel-backed ADAS technology provider.

Volkswagen is starting small with two vehicles immediately, scaling up to ten vehicles by the end of the year. Volkswagen plans to expand its testing programme to four more US cities over the next three years.

The self-driving cars feature LiDARs and radars from MobilEye, alongside a suite of sensors. Human drivers will always supervise the system.

Volkswagen is accelerating the development of autonomous vehicle technology, including software. It has used the ID. Buzz, resembling 1960s VW vans, as a testbed.

The idea is to build a fleet of autonomous ID.Buzz vehicles with fleet management software and provide remote guidance solutions to mobility and transportation companies. Volkswagen will not build an autonomous ride-hailing service.

In Austin, test vehicles will operate in a geofenced area including east and downtown Austin, later expanding to other city areas.

These autonomous vehicles will not be open to the public. Testing with a closed user group will start, with commercial service expected in 2026.

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