Volvo Self-Driving 'Ride Pilot' Techn to Be Tested in California

Volvo will debut more than a new model when it reveals an electric SUV later this year. The new flagship will introduce three key items, starting with the vehicle itself. The other two are a new, unsupervised autonomous driving feature called Ride Pilot and a subscription service that enables the use of the self-driving technology. Also of note is that when it launches, Ride Pilot will first be available in California before being "gradually" rolled out to other markets and regions. Volvo plans to start testing Ride Pilot in California by the middle of this year because that's where, it says, "the climate, traffic conditions and regulatory framework provide a favorable environment for the introduction of autonomous driving."