Aurora plans to achieve large-scale commercial operation of unmanned autonomous trucks by 2024.
On December 7, 2023, it was reported that Aurora plans to start commercial operation of unmanned self-driving trucks by the end of 2024 and provide a commercial-ready route for driverless trucks in Texas.
By the end of 2024, up to 20 Aurora Innovation autonomous trucks will begin regular deliveries without human operators.
Aurora Innovation is moving towards the use of autonomous driving technology to deliver commercial freight on tractor-trailers, with the goal of launching by the end of next year.
These are the words of Aurora's CFO at a recent investor conference.
Aurora currently uses an in-vehicle security operator to provide commercial freight to pilot customers. The trucks are designed to run between warehouses in these two cities. They are SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles capable of driving independently along fully planned and accessible routes.
Aurora Innovation is preparing the industry's first "lane" for driverless trucks on I-45, which is supported by terminal stations in Dallas and Houston.
The I-45 corridor is one of the busiest commercial routes in the southwestern United States, and nearly half of all trucking in Texas travels along this corridor.
According to investors, the possible benefits have already aroused the interest of the main players working with Aurora. These include FedEx, Hirschbach Motor Lines, Schneider National, Werner Enterprises and Uber Freight.
In terms of hardware support, Aurora has partnered with Continental to enable autonomous driving technology on a commercial scale through joint development, manufacturing, and servicing of hardware for future generations of Aurora Driver's autonomous driving systems.
Aurora Driver Hardware Manufacturing: Continental and Aurora will develop, manufacture and assemble Aurora driver hardware, including technologies such as automotive lidar, radar, cameras and high-performance computers. Continental will also industrialize these systems, which means strengthening their reliability and assembly design processes in preparation for mass manufacturing.
Focus on safety: Continental will develop a new backup system that will bring a new level of safety to autonomous vehicles. In the unlikely event of a failure of the main autopilot system, the backup system is designed to ensure that the driverless truck can continue to carry out the driving task until it reaches a safe position.
Integrating with Manufacturers and**: Both organizations will work with vehicle manufacturing partners to ramp up production of vehicles integrated with Aurora Driver hardware and backup systems, adjust production schedules, and design for ease of installation.
Continental will manage the entire lifecycle of its autonomous driving hardware kit for Aurora Driver, from production to decommissioning. The first production of the Aurora Horizon is expected to begin in 2027, following its expected launch in 2024.
The traditional business model is that the assembly manufacturer pays as it assembles. The partnership between Continental and Aurora will operate on a hardware-as-a-service business model. This means that both Continental and Aurora will derive their revenue from the miles traveled by their products.
Customers will be able to leverage Continental's expertise for customer service, maintenance, and warranty needs related to Aurora Driver hardware. Once the Aurora Driver hardware has completed its product lifecycle, Continental will take care of its decommissioning, dismantling and replacement.
Aurora's terminal blueprint is designed to maximize the time it takes for self-driving trucks to transport goods on the road. For example, on-site weighing stations support enhanced pre-drive inspections, which ensure that Aurora's trucks meet regulatory standards while allowing them to bypass checkpoints on the road.
This technology has great potential to reduce labor costs. According to one study, 25-ton autonomous trucks can reduce traditional costs by 50 percent on mid-mile routes and about 24 percent in the worst case, according to one study.