Volvo targets hands-free point-to-point driving by 2030 using Nvidia’s AI stack

Volvo built its reputation on cars that keep you safe while you do the driving. Now it wants the car to do more of the driving too. The Chinese-owned, Swedish-designed automaker said Thursday it plans to launch hands-free, point-to-point driving by 2030, built on Nvidia’s autonomous driving technology. The system is meant to compete directly with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the feature that has defined the consumer driver-assist conversation for years. What Volvo is actually promising Volvo describes the new system as Level 2++. That label sits in the awkward middle of the industry’s automation scale. Think of it as a very capable co-pilot that still expects you to stay alert. The car does the steering, braking and navigating, but a human remains responsible for what happens. According to Volvo, the system will be able to handle complex urban environments. That includes traffic lights, stop signs and unprotected left turns, all without explicit input from the driver. The “point-to-point” part means the car is designed to manage a trip from origin to destination, not just a stretch of highway. Most current hands-free systems are limited to mapped highways, where lanes ar...