Self-driving tech firm signs up second truckmaker this year after Paccar
Not satisfied with its Paccar autonomous trucks link, Aurora is partnering with Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS).
The VAS-Aurora partnership will see them “jointly develop globally leading autonomous transport solutions at scale”, in a deal expected to span “several years”.
The partnership’s initial focus is to develop and deploy an autonomous transport solution for hub to hub applications for North America.
“Creating a viable autonomous on-highway offering requires close partnerships with both customers and tech partners to develop the needed capabilities,” VAS president Nils Jaeger says.
“This exciting partnership brings our goal of transport as a service an important step closer and will accelerate our commercial offer for hub-to-hub applications in North America.
“Aurora is already a leading force in autonomous systems, and its integrated self-driving stack, software, hardware and data services platform combine to offer a clear path towards efficient and safe on-highway solutions in the medium term.”
This will centre on the integration of the Aurora Driver into Volvo’s on-highway trucks and the development of industry-leading Transport as a Service (TaaS) solutions.
“Since the first project together in 2018, Aurora has developed a deep respect for Volvo, its engineering process, and its commitment to safety,” Aurora co-founder and chief product officer Sterling Anderson says.
“With the groundwork now laid through the establishment of Volvo Autonomous Solutions and the creation of Aurora’s industry-leading sensor suite, we’re excited to join forces to develop self-driving solutions with Volvo’s impressive network of customers.”
The announcement is the culmination of a collaboration that saw its first iteration of an autonomous heavy-duty truck some three years ago.
Meanwhile, in January, Paccar said it had reached a strategic global agreement with Aurora to develop, test and commercialise autonomous Peterbilt 579 and Kenworth T680 trucks.
This also uses Aurora Driver, with the tech firm supplying related hardware, software and operational services.