Volvo opens a 2 square kilometer autodrome for testing autonomous cars

Swedish automaker Volvo opens the AstaZero autodrome , specially designed for testing active safety systems and fully autonomous vehicles. Unlike other similar test autodromes, AstaZero is not designed to test automotive "hardware" on different pavements, but to test the ability of software and electronics to drive a car in real road conditions. The autodrome includes four city blocks with intersections, a section of a multi-lane highway, a high-speed section and a country road.







AstaZero is built by Volvo along with several other automakers, in particular Scania, which manufactures trucks. At the test site, it will be possible to experience the interaction of cars not only with other cars, but also with pedestrians, cyclists, and even animals running onto the track.





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The construction of the race track cost $ 72.5 million. This once again confirms the seriousness of Volvo’s intentions to become a European, and possibly a world leader in the creation of autonomous cars. The company predicts the emergence of fully unmanned vehicles on sale in 2020 - this is 5 years more optimistic than predicted by the pioneer in this industry - Google. In 2017, in Gothenburg, where Volvo’s headquarters are located, a hundred of the company's robotic vehicles will begin testing on general roads.