Volvo and Aurora launch first 'production-ready' autonomous semi truck
Volvo, in partnership with autonomous driving technology firm Aurora, has unveiled its first "production-ready" self-driving truck. The vehicle is based on Volvo's new VNL, a Class 8 semi truck designed for long-haul transportation. It features an array of sensors and cameras to power Aurora's Level 4 autonomous driving system, enabling operation without a human driver. The companies have termed the truck as "purpose-designed and purpose-built" for Aurora's self-driving hardware and software stack.
Autonomous truck marks start of global technology platform
"This truck is the first of our standardized global autonomous technology platform, which will enable us to introduce additional models in the future," said Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions. The aim is to bring autonomy to all Volvo Group truck brands and expand into other geographies and use cases. The trucks will be manufactured at Volvo's New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia. This collaboration between Volvo and Aurora began in 2018.
Autonomous trucks to hit public highways this summer
The Volvo VNL autonomous truck was revealed at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas and is expected to be on public roads as early as this summer. Initially, these self-driving trucks will carry a human safety operator behind the wheel who can take control if needed. Later this year, pilot programs with buyers using the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck are anticipated to be announced. Aurora aims to commercialize self-driving trucks by the end of 2024.
Aurora's strategy: Commercializing self-driving trucks
Aurora plans to transport freight between Dallas and Houston using up to 20 self-driving Class 8 trucks, sans humans behind the wheel. However, it remains undisclosed whether these trucks will be built by Volvo or its other partner Paccar. The partnership with Volvo is part of Aurora's commercialization strategy, which includes introducing pilot programs with logistics companies FedEx, Ryder, Schneider, and Uber Freight. Also, Aurora is collaborating with German auto supplier Continental to deploy driverless trucks at scale in 2027.
A focus on safety and redundancy
The Volvo VNL autonomous truck is equipped with redundant steering, braking, computation, power management, energy storage, communication, and vehicle motion management systems. It also integrates the Aurora Driver - a self-driving suite that includes dual computers, self-driving software, in-house LiDAR that can detect objects over 396m away, high-resolution cameras, and imaging radar. "Our platform engineering approach prioritizes safety by incorporating high-assurance redundancy systems designed to mitigate potential emergency situations," said Shahrukh Kazmi, Chief Product Officer at Volvo Autonomous Solutions.
