These cars will run between major cities in North America
In mid-February, it was announced that Aurora, a self-driving vehicle development company, had partnered with the world’s largest automaker, Toyota. Together with a third participant, Japanese auto parts supplier Denso, the partners plan to develop and test vehicles with Driver self-driving technology developed by Aurora.
Aurora and Volvo to develop Level 4 self-driving trucks
According to the new information, Aurora will also develop self-driving trucks of the fourth level. This work is stipulated by an agreement with Volvo. The partners intend to create fully self-driving cars that will run between major cities in North America.
Aurora and Volvo said they have been exploring a potential partnership since 2018, already collaborating on the prototype of the Pistachio truck shown in the illustration. Back then, Aurora Driver technology was not yet capable of safely driving such a large and heavy vehicle. New sensor technologies acquired by Aurora in 2019 give the partners reason to believe that they are now ready to create a fleet of self-driving trucks of the fourth level. In addition to helping with vehicle manufacturing, Aurora will provide logistics and operational support using the cloud to make the most efficient truck operations.
It remains to be recalled that the fourth level of self-government corresponds to fully automatic movement in certain zones or conditions. In this case, constant attention of the driver is not required. Outside these zones or conditions, the system calls on the driver for help, and if he cannot take control, stops driving and parks the car.
