Fully Autonomous Cars Won’t Be Cheap

Volvo Ericsson streaming video concept (Credit: Volvo)

While it’s great to fantasize about a utopian society where car crashes are a thing of the past, that might be a little harder to achieve than you might think. According to a new report from Autocar, Volvo says making a car autonomous will add at least $14,000 to the overall price.

This is really bad news if you already think that cars these days are too expensive. But it shouldn’t be surprising, considering the kind of tech necessary for a car to drive itself safely. Volvo is planning on using up to nine cameras mounted to a production autonomous vehicle, plus nine radar sensors and a lidar system. All of that info goes to five high-powered computers. It’s not a cheap setup.

Oh, and Volvo’s design involves a lot of “redundant” systems, like two steering systems, to avoid accidents. It’s the same principle used with airplanes. The only difference is the average person doesn’t need to buy a jet to get around town.

The good news about Volvo’s approach is the government doesn’t need to spend a bunch of money to make it happen. Other autonomous drive technologies rely on “smart” infrastructure, roadside beacons, and other solutions that will cost taxpayers big time.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that fully autonomous cars will be playthings for the rich. The big question is how long will it be until the tech goes mainstream, or will it ever?