Der ID. Buzz AD im Testbetrieb in München. Foto: Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge
The development of autonomous vehicles for use in mobility and transport services is making great strides at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. On the way to series production, the self-driving all-electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD (Autonomous Driving) are on the road for the first time in these weeks with decision-makers from politics, authorities and business, as well as media representatives, who are getting an idea of the vehicles’ control capabilities. Volkswagen’s test program has also started in parallel in Austin, Texas, USA. The development of the AD vehicles is aimed at commercial use in metropolitan areas in Europe and North America, for both driving and transportation services.
The all-electric ID. Buzz AD vehicles offer high-volume technology and are also equipped with a self-driving system from technology company Mobileye. The growing test fleet collects data on miles driven in a variety of driving scenarios. Each of the vehicles, as defined by Level 4 in the U.S. SAE standard for automated driving, features cameras, radar and lidar technology. All vehicles are manned by safety drivers at all times during the test phase. The large-capacity model offers space for four passengers and, once ready for series production, can be produced in large numbers to meet growing mobility and transportation needs.
At Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, there is a wealth of experience regarding passenger wishes and operator requirements that are important for the development of such fleets. The Group subsidiary MOIA has already been on the market as a mobility provider of shared rides since 2018 and has transported more than 8.5 million passengers to date. MOIA also brings this data into its daily development work.
The launch of the test program in Texas at Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) also marks an important milestone for the Volkswagen Group’s global research and development of autonomous vehicles. VWGoA will lead strategy and business development in the U.S. and has established a subsidiary called Volkswagen ADMT, LLC to support the launch of its autonomous vehicle program with teams in Belmont, California, and Austin, Texas.
Unlike in Germany, where MOIA will be the first deployer of the autonomous vehicles, Volkswagen will not operate the autonomous driving services itself in the U.S. in the future, but plans to deploy them with external partner companies in the mobility and transportation sectors.
