The state of the art of autonomous driving technology on wheels takes us into a fascinating world: information gathering is done through HD cameras, lidar, ultrasound, radar, GPS integrated in real time through sensor fusion technique giving the in-vehicle computer brain a complete picture that allows it to digitally reconstruct the surrounding environment.

We remember the day we mounted and tested lidar and cameras on the XEV Yoyo very well. The 3D printed bar did not fit properly, we had to make adjustments, then we turned it on and on our computer screen we saw in real time what its digital eyes were seeing.

Drive-by-wire is how transportation engineering defines all automated control systems in a vehicle. Typically brake, accelerator, steering, and other controls are controlled by electronic control units using electromechanical actuators. In order to give our artificial intelligence total control of our Yoyo, we had to make all the controls that are usually in human hands electronically controllable. It was a work of system integration, but also often of a lot of patience with drills, files, saws, because here the mechanical, electrical, and electronic parts we added have to match perfectly with the original ones.

Today is an important day. It is the day.

Our entire design and development team is assembled, colleagues have come from all locations: Naples, Turin, Detroit. About 40 colleagues have been invited to the in-house presentation. Everything has to work at its best. We are sure that it will, but the demo effect is being felt, the excitement is only felt by looking into our eyes, peeking out from the face mask.

Our XEV Yoyo sets off, with a passenger on board. There is a strange feeling in observing the empty driver’s seat.  It takes a predetermined route, perfectly maintaining the roadway, stops when a pedestrian suddenly crosses the road, makes a left turn, avoids an obstacle, and parks in front of the garage entrance. Ovation. We did it.