NAIROBI, Kenya- In a landmark moment for autonomous trucking, Volvo and Aurora have introduced their first production autonomous truck, the Volvo VNL Autonomous.
This debut comes three years after the initial announcement of their partnership, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of autonomous vehicle technology.
The Volvo VNL Autonomous truck is powered by Aurora Driver, a level 4 autonomous driving system.
This advanced system features high-resolution cameras, imaging radars, a LiDAR sensor capable of detecting objects up to 400 meters away, and an array of other sensors.
Aurora’s technology has amassed billions of virtual training miles and 1.5 million commercial miles on public roads, underscoring its reliability and readiness for real-world applications.
Safety is a top priority for this autonomous truck, which boasts redundant systems for steering, braking, communication, computation, power management, energy storage, and vehicle motion management.
These redundancies ensure the truck can operate safely even if one system fails, providing peace of mind for its future commercial operations.
Initially, the truck will have a human driver behind the wheel to take over if necessary as it begins transporting cargo across North America in the coming months.
An Aurora spokesperson mentioned that pilot programs with clients interested in using Volvo’s truck will be announced later this year.
Although specific companies were not named, Aurora has previously collaborated with FedEx and Uber Freight for pilot programs.
Aurora also plans to deploy 20 fully driverless trucks between Dallas and Houston soon. However, it’s unclear whether this fleet will include the Volvo VNL Autonomous or trucks from other manufacturing partners.
The unveiling in Las Vegas confirmed that Volvo has started manufacturing a test fleet of the VNL Autonomous truck at its New River Valley assembly facility in Virginia.
Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, highlighted the significance of this launch, calling the truck the “first standardized global autonomous technology platform.”
He emphasized that this platform will enable Volvo to introduce additional autonomous models in the future, paving the way for broader adoption of autonomous trucking technology.
The introduction of the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck marks a pivotal step in the journey toward fully autonomous commercial transportation.
