All-electric Volvo 360c autonomous concept unveiled, expected to have a driving range of 300km
Volvo has unveiled the 360c concept, a fully autonomous, fully electric car without a human driver. The company mentions "the concept capitalises on the freedom in design afforded by the absence of a steering wheel and a combustion engine, providing the ability to reimagine the traditional placement of passengers in rows of two or three". The Volvo 360c will be positioned as an intermediate travel solution between short destinations, especially shorter routes where the distance between origin and destination is around 300 kilometres are prime candidates for disruption by an alternative mode of travel. This means a driving range of 300km on one full charge can be expected from the Volvo 360c.
"The 360c represents what could be a whole new take on the industry" - Marten Levenstam, senior vice president of corporate strategy at Volvo Cars
"Domestic air travel sounds great when you buy your ticket, but it really isn't. The 360c represents what could be a whole new take on the industry," said Marten Levenstam, senior vice president of corporate strategy at Volvo Cars. "The sleeping cabin allows you to enjoy premium comfort and peaceful travel through the night and wake up refreshed at your destination. It could enable us to compete with the world's leading aircraft makers.". He further added, ""When the Wright brothers took to the skies in 1903, they did not have a clue about what modern air travel would look like," said Mårten Levenstam. "We do not know what the future of autonomous drive will hold, but it will have a profound impact on how people travel, how we design our cities and how we use infrastructure. We regard the 360c as a conversation starter, with more ideas and answers to come as we learn more."
The release states "Beyond new potential customer groups for Volvo Cars' business, the 360c also carries implications for the future of travel, city planning, infrastructure and modern society's environmental footprint. It does not just reimagine how people travel but also looks at how people engage with friends and family while on the move, and how they can recapture time while travelling in the cities of the future"
"Autonomous vehicle concepts have a tendency to become a technology showcase instead of a vision of how people use it," said Robin Page, senior vice president of design at Volvo Cars. "But Volvo is a human-centric brand. We focus on the daily lives of our customers and how we can make them better. The 360c is the next iteration of this approach."
