HANOVER, Germany—Continental A.G. has advanced its driverless vehicle technology with the development of a demo vehicle it calls CUbE.
In a July 20 news release, the German technology company said that the Continental Urban mobility Experience (CUbE) will start its trials at Continental's Frankfurt location, which contains a typical city infrastructure such as street signs, cross-traffic, pedestrian crossings and curbs.
"We're developing cross-divisional solutions for driverless robo-taxis—and we will be starting with practical testing this year," said Frank Jourdan, member of the executive board of Continental and chairman of the chassis and safety division management board.
Jourdan said Continental has access to "an almost complete product portfolio of its own sensors, actuators, control units and communication and networking technology."
CUbE represents a step forward in driverless technology, combining current and developing technology. Many aspects of driver assistance systems and sensors are based on technology alreadyalready installed in today's serial production vehicles. When combined with newly developed technology, Continental can take steps toward the development of fully autonomous vehicles.
Citing a study by consulting firm Roland Berger, Conti said driverless vehicles will account for about a quarter of transportation services by the year 2030.