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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Uber plans to purchase [techcrunch.com] 24,000 Volvo XC90 [wikipedia.org] SUVs between 2019 and 2021. The number is set to change:

Uber has entered into an agreement with carmaker Volvo to purchase 24,000 of its XC90 SUVs between 2019 and 2021 to form a fleet of autonomous vehicles, according to Bloomberg News [bloomberg.com]. The XC90 is the base of Uber's latest-generation self-driving test car, which features sensors and autonomous driving computing capability installed by Uber after purchase on the XC90 vehicle.

The deal is said to be worth around $1.4 billion [ft.com], per the Financial Times, with the XC90 starting at $46,900 in the U.S. in terms of base model consumer pricing. Uber is already testing the XC90 in Arizona, San Francisco and Pittsburgh in trials with safety drivers on board to help refine and improve their software. Uber also paired up with Volvo to jointly develop autonomous driving and a vehicle ready for self-driving implementation, with investment from both sides committed last year.

Also at NYT [nytimes.com].

Previously: Uber Testing Driverless Car in Pittsburgh [soylentnews.org]
Uber to Begin Picking Up Passengers With Autonomous Cars Next Month [soylentnews.org]
Uber's Self-Driving Cars to be Tested in San Francisco [soylentnews.org]

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