Volkswagen to Launch Software That’ll Eliminate Accidents by 2050

German carmaker Volkswagen is looking to make car accidents a thing of the past.

According to Reuters, the Berlin-based company will be launching a new software operating system which will make its cars able to anticipate and avoid accidents.

The new system will be launched with the firm’s ID:3 electric car and will be continually updated “as software algorithms improve,” said Volkswagen strategy chief Michael Jost.

“How quickly can data and algorithms improve? Our customers should benefit from deep learning every week, and every day. We are moving from being a device company to being a software company,” he said.

“We want to have no more accidents by 2050,” Jost said.

Volkswagen’s ID:3 is slated to go on sale for EUR24,000 ($27,000) in Germany this summer, putting it on par with the company’s other vehicles. The first generation vehicles are still being tweaked, said Volkswagen E-mobility exec Thomas Ulbrich, though he did add that while they still aren’t at a 100%, “it is normal that there are still technical tasks to be done shortly before market launch.”

Photo: Alexander Migl