Uber wants up to 24,000 Volvo self-driving cars

Uber’s new agreement with Volvo could see up to 24,000 autonomous XC90 SUVs used by the ride-sharing company.

The cars could be bought over three years from 2019.

The base vehicles incorporate all necessary safety, redundancy and core autonomous driving technologies that are required for Uber to add its own self-driving technology, Volvo says.

Uber started testing Volvo driverless prototypes in the US last year under a partnership arrangement.

Volvo and Uber haven’t revealed the new agreement’s financial terms, but confirm it’s “non-exclusive” – allowing both to form similar partnerships with others, BBC News reports.

“Our aim is to be the supplier of choice for AD ride-sharing service providers globally,” Volvo Cars president and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson says.

Uber Auto Alliances head Jeff Miller says, “This new agreement puts us on a path towards mass produced self-driving vehicles at scale.”

Volvo, owned by Chinese company Geely Holding, plans to release its first fully autonomous car in 2021.

Uber’s driverless ambitions could be delayed by a legal dispute with Waymo – a self-drive business owned by Google-parent Alphabet.

Waymo claims Uber benefited from the theft of some of its trade secrets and is seeking about US$1.9 billion in damages, the BBC News says.

The case is due to go to court in San Francisco in early December.