(TNS) — Autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora has expanded its driverless freight operations to include nighttime travel on Texas highways, according to the company’s announcement Wednesday.
In late April, the self-driving 18-wheeler service was launched without a safety driver in partnership with Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines. The company’s vehicles have driven more than 20,000 driverless miles, and its fleet of driverless vehicles has expanded to three trucks. The trucks travel between Dallas and Houston at night.
“The progress propels Aurora and the freight industry into a new era,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora, in the Wednesday business review call.
Aurora added that it completes two trips a day. With three trucks, it can now make 12 trips.
The company utilizes an autonomous driving system called Aurora Driver, specifically designed for long-haul trucks. The trucks are equipped with a suite of different sensors, including cameras, radar and lidar, which help the vehicle provide a 360-degree view.
Its FirstLight Lidar has a 500-meter range to detect obstacles. The technology can find objects in the dark and identify pedestrians, vehicles and debris, according to Aurora. The detection allows for the autonomous driving system to see and react safely to obstacles, the company added.
Aurora said that its autonomous vehicles, which don’t suffer from fatigue like human drivers, will improve the industry’s safety record. Texas led the nation in fatal large truck crashes between 2018 and 2022, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Aurora will also continue to have an observer in the front seat of the three trucks, at the request of its long-time partner, design and manufacturing company PACCAR.
“While we added a front-seat observer at the request of a partner given certain prototype parts in their base vehicle, it’s crucial to note that the Aurora Driver remains fully responsible for all driving tasks, with no interventions needed,” Urmson said.
The company also plans to receive 20 Volvo trucks by the end of the year for testing.
“We’ll wait for (Volvo) to be comfortable announcing the timeline for us to launch initially with (the trucks) driverlessly,” Urmson said.
Volvo collaborated with Aurora to autonomously transport DHL Supply Chain freight, accompanied by a safety driver, between Dallas and Houston, as well as Fort Worth and El Paso, which launched last year.
The company also highlighted its new terminal in Phoenix, which opened in June. The terminal will be used for the 15-hour Fort Worth to Phoenix route.
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