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| Volvo and Aurora are developing semi-autonomous trucks |
The two companies announced that Volvo has announced a new partnership for its fully automated truck production line with the independent startup Aurora.
The two companies said the Volvo Aurora deal was a long-term multi-year partnership launched by former executives from Google, Tesla and Uber.
The collaboration marks the latest partnership between the manufacturer and an ambitious autonomous driving technology company as more trucks and autonomous cars slowly advance into the future as more trucks and self-driving cars continue to move.
Aurora has been testing its Aurora Driver software and software suite in its experimental fleet of Category 8 trucks and trucks since last year.
Unlike its competitors, which focus only on autonomous vehicle applications, the company said its first commercial service will be in the trucking business.
Volvo said, "To create a standalone and viable road product, we need to work closely with customers and technology partners to develop the required features."
She added, "This partnership makes moving us a service destination the most important step and speeding up the delivery of commercial application products from the North American Center to the Center."
Aurora has raised $ 690 million so far, and Google has welcomed co-founder and CEO (Chris Urmson) for his work leading the self-driving car program.
Founder Sterling Anderson (Sterling Anderson) has also co-led the Tesla Model X project.
The company raised $ 1 billion in a donation round led by Amazon last year. It also acquired the autonomous unit from Uber and worked with Toyota to develop a fleet of autonomous vehicles crossing the road for the first time. Until the end of 2021.
Volvo, the second largest manufacturer of semi-heavy trucks, is gradually adding autonomous driving capabilities to its trucks, but has yet to sign a contract to manufacture fully autonomous vehicles.
Long-distance transportation is likely one of the widespread applications of autonomous driving technology.
There is a general concern in the trucking industry that autonomous technology could lead to massive transportation for truck drivers.
A 2017 study found that self-driving trucks could reduce driver demand by 50-70% by 2030 in the United States and Europe, while ignoring 4.4 million professional drivers out of 6.4 million drivers on the two continents.
These concerns are growing as tech companies roll out convincing non-computer prototypes designed to get rid of drivers altogether.
A number of partnerships and other corporate transactions have emerged in the burgeoning autonomous truck industry in recent years, particularly when the Corona pandemic cast doubt on the long-term viability of self-driving vehicles to transport passengers.
Well-known companies like Daimler have announced that they will join Waymo, while newcomers like TuSimple, Ike, Embark and Plus are working hard to develop fully driverless trucks.