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Volvo Autonomous Options this week unveiled its first-ever production-ready autonomous truck. The corporate debuted the automobile on the ACT Expo in Las Vegas. The VNS Autonomous truck brings collectively Volvo’s business automobile experience with autonomous driving expertise from Aurora Innovation Inc., it mentioned.
“We’re on the forefront of a brand new approach to transport items, complementing and enhancing transportation capability, and thereby enabling commerce and societal progress,” acknowledged Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Options (VAS). “This truck is the primary of our standardized world autonomous expertise platform, which can allow us to introduce extra fashions sooner or later, bringing autonomy to all Volvo Group truck manufacturers, and to different geographies and use circumstances.”
Volvo added that the truck is the results of years of analysis and growth into autonomous automobile expertise. The Gothenburg, Sweden-based automaker mentioned the platform-based design method will allow it to do two issues.
The primary is to make use of its digital driver developed in home for vans and machines working inside confined functions. The second is to companion with digital driving applied sciences for on-highway trucking functions.
Chris Urmson, Sterling Anderson, and Drew Bagnell based Aurora in 2017. Its Aurora Driver is a self-driving system with a typical core of {hardware} and software program. The Pittsburgh-based firm designed it to adapt to a broad set of auto varieties, from a four-door sedan to a Class 8 semi truck.
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Volvo prioritizes security and integration
Based in 2020, Volvo Autonomous Options mentioned it’s addressing the transportation {industry}’s capability constraints with secure, sustainable, and environment friendly autonomous expertise. The unit of the Volvo Group provides prospects tailor-made transport as a service (TaaS) with autonomous autos, required infrastructure, operational and uptime assist, and cloud-based administration of logistics flows.
With the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck, VAS mentioned it made each design and engineering choice with security in thoughts. Because of this the system has redundant steering, braking, communication, computation, energy administration, vitality storage, and automobile movement administration techniques.
Along with security, Volvo prioritized integrating Aurora’s Driver, an SAE Stage 4 system, into the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck. Aurora mentioned its driver is made up of AI software program, twin computer systems, proprietary lidar that may detect greater than 400 m (1,312.3 ft.) away, high-resolution cameras, an imaging reader, and extra sensors. These applied sciences allow the Volvo VNL Autonomous to securely navigate the world round it.
“Powered by the Aurora Driver, the brand new Volvo VNL Autonomous is the conclusion of our shared imaginative and prescient,” mentioned Sterling Anderson, co-founder and chief product officer at Aurora, mentioned. “This truck combines Aurora’s industry-leading self-driving expertise with Volvo’s best-in-class truck, designed particularly for autonomy, making it essential for any transport supplier that wishes to strengthen and develop their enterprise.”
The Aurora Driver has been skilled and examined in Aurora’s digital suite, the place it has pushed billions of miles, claimed the corporate. It additionally has 1.5 million business miles on public roads, the place it navigates end-to-end trucking routes. It has pushed on highways, rural roadways, and floor streets day and night time and in good and dangerous climate, Aurora mentioned.
Trying to the street forward
The Volvo VNL Autonomous truck shall be assembled at Volvo’s flagship New River Valley (NRV) plant in Dublin, Va. The NRV plant is the most important Volvo Vans plant on the earth. Volvo mentioned its high-volume manufacturing expertise, mixed with stringent autonomous high quality processes, will give allow it to supply autonomous vans to fulfill {industry} demand.
In 2023, the U.S. was quick 80,000 truck drivers, in line with the American Journal of Transportation. This downside will solely enhance, because the examine confirmed that by 2030, the U.S. shall be quick 160,000 drivers. Volvo mentioned its autonomous vans can handle this problem.
“The Volvo VNL Autonomous, powered by the Aurora Driver, provides a completely built-in autonomous answer within the hub-to-hub phase,” mentioned Sasko Cuklev, head of on-road options at Volvo Autonomous Options. “Our method reduces complexity for our prospects whereas permitting them to expertise the advantages of an autonomous answer with peace of thoughts by guaranteeing effectivity, security, and reliability.”