I was just in Utah and had a chance to take a Jeep off-road for the first time. It was a nerve-racking and exciting experience that has now caused me to consider trading in my base Crosstrek for one of Subaru’s Wilderness models or another off-road capable vehicle.
While getting an off-road vehicle is cool in itself, Jeep is wanting to take things to the next level by building self-driving technology — not just for the road, but for the off-road as well. In a press release, the company gave a glimpse at some new autonomous technology that could enable its vehicles to drive themselves on off-road trails.
The company is testing this new self-driving technology using the Jeep Cherokee 4xe, its electric SUV. Christian Meunier, Jeep brand CEO, said in a statement that the company’s electric models and the self-driving technology together are taking “off-road capability to new heights.”
“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 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.”
You can get a first look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe driving itself on an off-road trail outside of Moab, Utah below. The company says that it plans to release a more detailed video later this summer.
This is really cool tech. Self-driving on roads and highways is one thing but the ability to have your vehicle drive itself safely on an off-road trail is next level. While I would certainly not want to use this all of the time as driving off-road is a ton of fun, it would be awesome to use it sometimes so I could sit back and enjoy the scenery I’m driving through.
Speaking of self-driving, Waymo recently announced that it is bringing its fifth-generation Jaguar I-PACE electric self-driving cars to Texas and that Uber customers could soon start booking autonomous rides.
