Uber Rolling Out Pilot Self-Driving Car Program in Pittsburgh

— -- Uber today announced a partnership with Volvo that will put some of the latest self-driving technology on the streets of Pittsburgh.

Over the next couple of weeks, the company will deploy Volvo XC90s equipped with level 3 autonomy -- cars capable of accelerating, braking and steering under certain conditions but requiring human drivers poised to intervene if the technology fails -- giving some Pittsburgh riders the chance to go for a hands-free spin free of charge.

These Ubers, which are opt-in only, will come with a human driver, dubbed a “copilot” by Uber, ready to step in at any time.

Together, Uber and Volvo have pledged $300 million for the project. (Uber is also deploying Ford Focuses with similar technology.)

By working with Volvo, “we’ll get to the future faster than going it alone,”Uber CEO Travis Kalanick wrote in a blog post.

In addition to the Volvo partnership, Uber today announced the acquisition of Otto, a self-driving truck company.

“Otto plus Uber is a dream team,” Kalanick wrote. “Together, we now have one of the strongest autonomous engineering groups in the world; self-driving trucks and cars that are already on the road thanks to Otto and Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh; the practical experience that comes from running ridesharing and delivery services in hundreds of cities.”

Uber isn’t the only ride-sharing app to enter the autonomous arena.

In January, competitor Lyft announced a $500 partnership with GM to develop driverless taxis. And Tesla’s Elon Musk last month announced that developing autonomous ride sharing was part of his latest “master plan.”

But the autonomous car landscape isn’t all hands-free bliss.

Tesla’s existing autonomous technology, for example, faced intense scrutiny following two collisions involving autopilot, a driver-assist program that uses cameras and radar to automatically change lanes, navigate traffic, and brake to avoid collision.

A 40-year-old Tesla enthusiast was killed in Florida in May when his Model S, driving on autopilot, crashed into a tractor-trailer it had failed to detect in its path. And earlier this month, a Model X on autopilot swerved off the road and struck a cable rail in Montana. (In that case, no one was injured, and Tesla says the driver did not have his hand on the wheel despite repeated alerts from the vehicle.)