VW’s announcement comes less than a year after the German automaker and its partner Ford announced they would no longer invest in Argo AI, a start-up working on autonomous-driving technology in which both automakers had invested heavily. But Vokswagen did not give up on what are sometimes called “self-driving cars.” The 10 Volkwagen ID. Buzz electric vans will test technology VW is working on with Mobileye, an Israeli company once owned by Intel that also works with BMW, General Motors and Ford.
VW joins joins companies such General Motors’ Cruise, which is also operating self-driving vehicles in Austin, and Waymo, the autonomous driving subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Autonomous cars have gained attention recently for snarling traffic and, in some cases, even being involved in crashes. The industry’s defenders have said, though, that millions of miles have been driven and that some issues are a part of the testing process.