Jeep teases off-road self-driving tech
Jeep sees the autonomous driving technology of other automakers (that take on the challenges of the urban environment) and raises them with a self-driving system that can tackle the treacherous off-road trails of Moab, Utah.
That’s right, Jeep is silently developing autonomous driving technology that can handle both city streets and places without any roads.
On National Autonomous Vehicle Day in the U.S.A., Jeep decided to give motorists, especially off-road enthusiasts a glimpse of what they have been working on in this 38-second video uploaded on YouTube.
The video begins with an intro by Neda Cvijetic, head of AI & autonomous driving at Stellantis. “We are gonna show you some of the amazing things that we have been building for off-road autonomy for the Jeep community. To bring more fun, more adventure, more freedom. Let’s go,” said Cvijetic.
Jeep installed its off-road autonomy tech on two Grand Cherokee 4xe units and brought it for the first time to Moab. The short video started by showing the length of the off-road drive on a map and the two vehicles driving over an easy, flat trail. Viewers will see the numerous cameras around the vehicle, GPS sensors, and an extra-large dashboard-mounted tablet in the cabin before Jeep starts a quick glimpse of the really good stuff.
The last few seconds of the video show the drivers/engineers outside the vehicle holding the tablet and the two 4xes driving by themselves going up a very challenging and uneven slope.
“In the same way that our 4xe electrification takes Jeep brand’s off-road capability to new heights, these advanced off-road driving systems will help more customers in more countries around the world join and enjoy the adventure. These features and technology will have real-life applications on and off the trail in a wide range of driving conditions,” said Christian Meunier, Jeep brand CEO.
If the short teaser whets your appetite for more, Jeep says the full video showing the future generation of the brand’s advanced autonomous off-road driving technology will come out very soon.