Volvo and Aurora have joined forces to unveil an autonomous semi-truck, marking a significant step towards future mass production.
This collaboration introduces Volvo's inaugural "production-ready" self-driving truck, developed in partnership with Aurora, a leading autonomous driving technology firm founded by former executives from Google, Uber, and Tesla.
The Volvo VNL Autonomous brings together Volvo’s commercial vehicle expertise with industry-leading autonomous driving technology from Aurora Innovation.
Volvo Autonomous Solutions
Volvo's Collaboration with Aurora
Volvo has entered into a partnership with Aurora to unveil an autonomous semi-truck, marking a significant milestone in the realm of self-driving vehicles.
This collaborative effort signifies a strategic move toward revolutionizing the transportation industry. The concept of designing the vehicle with a specific purpose in mind is pivotal for the large-scale manufacturing of self-driving trucks.
The Verge reported tha this strategic approach is essential for the companies to eventually recoup the substantial investments made in autonomous vehicle (AV) development.
Manufacturing of these trucks will take place at Volvo's New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, the company's largest facility globally.
Since 2018, Volvo, a manufacturer responsible for approximately 10 percent of the world's Class 8 trucks, has been collaborating with Aurora to explore solutions for autonomous trucks.
This partnership has involved extensive testing of their technology on public roads, with Aurora accumulating 1.5 million miles of driving on commercial routes.
Aurora has set ambitious goals for its autonomous trucking initiative, revealing plans to deploy a fleet of 20 fully autonomous trucks within the confines of the current year.
This initial rollout marks a significant step forward in the company's vision to revolutionize the transportation industry through cutting-edge technology.
Additionally, the company has plans to extend its services to other businesses in the future. Moreover, Aurora is collaborating with German automotive supplier Continental to implement a large-scale deployment of driverless trucks by 2027.
Navigating Success Amidst Uncertainty
Initially anticipated to lead the way in mass adoption before robotaxis and personally owned autonomous vehicles, autonomous trucks have encountered comparable challenges along their journey.
Several companies have faced closures, while others have scaled back their ambitions for deploying driverless trucks due to prolonged timelines and diminishing funding.
Nevertheless, certain automakers remain optimistic, actively developing their own autonomous trucks with firm deployment deadlines in place.
Sentiment among the public regarding autonomous vehicles has experienced a decline, partly attributed to the missteps made by companies such as Tesla and Cruise.
Notably, Cruise had to halt its operations across the nation following an incident where a pedestrian was injured by one of its vehicles.
Aurora has managed to steer clear of public mishaps and avoid drawing the same level of negative scrutiny from government authorities as some of its counterparts.
Despite this, the company disclosed a net loss of $165 million in the initial quarter of 2024, reflecting a 16 percent improvement compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
