Driverless is go!
A DRIVERLESS TRUCK HAS OPERATED SAFELY ON A busy motorway in China – with no human intervention.
In a demonstration that’s said to be a first globally, the United Statesbased Plus showed off its autonomous capabilities under a special permit – running on the Wufengshan Highway in the Yangtze Delta region.
It says it’s on schedule to launch pilot operations of fully driverless trucks in controlled environments next year.
In a one minute, 24 second video of the demo, the autonomouslyoperated tractor unit – towing a semi-trailer – is seen overtaking other traffic and being overtaken…then negotiating an offramp, to halt at a layby.
Plus (formerly Plus.ai) had previously demonstrated a heavy truck being driven autonomously at a Chinese port in 2018.
Plus is also applying Level 4 technology to its PlusDrive system, with a driver present in the cab. PlusDrive can be integrated into new trucks or retro-fitted – making long-haul trucking “safer, more efficient, more comfortable, and better for the environment.”
It says it will start installing PlusDrive early next year and Chinese truckmaker FAW will mass-produce a truck equipped with the system later in 2021.
Plus co-founder Shawn Kerrigan says: “The driverless demo highlights the ability of our Level 4 autonomous driving technology to enable driverless highway operations in a semi truck. The demo shows the safety, maturity, and functionality of our technology, and we are excited to continue to work closely with our suppliers, fleet customers, and OEM partners to further develop, test, and refine a driverless product for commercial deployment.” Plus expects to launch pilot operations of a fully driverless truck for use in a dedicated environment in 2022.
T&D