With the aim of achieving a climate-neutral city by 2030, Volvo Cars has teamed with its hometown, Gothenburg, in Sweden for the creation of new urban zones that will be used as testbeds for future sustainable technologies.
The initiative, called Gothenburg Green City Zone, aims to establish an area inside Scandinavia's largest port city that is completely emission-free, with a variety of climate-neutral transportation modes and a connected infrastructure.
Using a real city as a testing ground will enable Volvo to accelerate development of technologies and services in the areas of electrification, shared mobility, autonomous driving, connectivity and safety. As part of the testbed, Volvo plans to run robotaxis operated by its fully-owned mobility provider M, within the zone.
Volvo plans to run robotaxis operated by its fully-owned mobility provider M, within the zone.
Hakan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars said, "We want to be involved in creating the cities of the future and keep them livable. This initiative gives us an opportunity to do that and take on responsibility in our own hometown at the same time."
Examples of technologies to be tested include geo-enabling solutions and services ensuring that cars in the zone operate in electric-only mode and remain within speed limits, as well as traffic infrastructure. Other potential examples include fully electric mobility hubs; a complete, easy-to-use charging network for electric cars; and autonomous taxis.
The main obstacle to climate transition is not a lack of climate-friendly and smart technologies, but the capacity to implement them. The transformation requires a holistic approach to foster innovation and a deep and continuous collaboration between all stakeholders.
