Renault that drives itself by 2020

It seems the panacea to end every flustered peak-hour commuter’s nightmares: a car that can not only self-drive in congested traffic at speeds of up to 30km/h, but can also valet park itself in specially designated car parks.

Say hello to the Renault NEXT TWO, conceived as the company’s vision of the autonomous vehicle of 2020.

Renault sums it up as follows: “Loss of time, tiredness, stress, wasted fuel… Such is the lot of the modern-day motorist, on roads that are becoming increasingly congested. In these conditions, why not permit yourself to just settle back and become a mere passenger?”

It seems a compelling argument, and organisations such as Google and Stanford University have already successfully trialled self-driving cars, so Renault’s concept is no pie-in-the-sky design study.

In addition to its autonomous driving functions, the NEXT TWO is also claimed to offer ultra-high levels of connectivity (it picks up 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc), enabling motorists to maximise the value of their time as they (or rather, their car) negotiates the peak-hour grind.

Although technology in this field is likely to evolve greatly over the next six years, the Renault concept is a pointer to the type of vehicle the company plans to sell by 2020.

“Thanks to the NEXT TWO autonomous prototype, Renault’s aim is to take up position right now in this field of advanced technology, which we believe will reach the marketplace by around 2020,” Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn was quoted as saying in the official press release.

“With NEXT TWO, we wanted to combine the worlds of delegated driving and connectivity. Not only will autonomous driving enhance safety but it will also free up time for drivers.

“Being connected will enable them to make the most of this extra time by providing them with access to new in-car services such as video-conferences, on-line shopping, travel information and more.”

In simple terms, the car’s functionality is made possible by a raft of cameras and sensors, with the information from these processed by software and then acted on by hardware that takes charge of throttle, braking and steering inputs.

The car is thus able to drive in congested traffic on main roads at speeds of up to 30km/h, as well as offering an Automated Valet Parking function that permits the vehicle to park itself in car parks equipped to cater for automated vehicles. This includes both finding a parking place and the necessary manoeuvring.

The self-driving car has been championed by Ghosn, who has been named by the French government as the leader of that country’s ‘Autonomous Vehicles’ project.

According to the company’s press statement, a roadmap for the project is currently being finalised, and it will be implemented by Renault, as well as various other French technology partners.

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