Volvo will partner with self-driving startup Aurora to develop fully autonomous semi-trucks for use in North America.
The deal will span several years and see trucks deployed on highly frequented hub-to-hub routes. Aurora was notably founded by former executives from Google, Tesla, and Uber, including Chris Urmson, who helped to pioneer Google’s self-driving car initiative.
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“Creating a viable autonomous on-highway offering requires close partnerships with both customers and tech partners to develop the needed capabilities,” president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions Nils Jaeger said in a statement. “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.”
The partnership will see the Aurora Driver technology stack integrated into Volvo trucks, including the former’s self-driving software, computer, and sensor suite.
Aurora recently acquired Uber’s self-driving division and also has a partnership with Paccar, meaning that with its latest partnership with Volvo, it now has partnerships with companies that sell nearly 50 per cent of all Class 8 trucks in the United States.
“Our previously announced collaborations with partners such as Paccar will continue in parallel to the collaboration with Volvo,” an Aurora spokesperson told TechCrunch. “As Paccar’s first self-driving technology partner, the unique nature of our partnership enables us to build Paccar’s first redundant truck that will be able to operate without a safety driver, bring it to market first and deploy it broadly.”
