PlusAI, International and NVIDIA move closer to autonomous truck commercialization
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Kodiak’s virtual drivers ace a human safety test
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Kodiak Robotics recently made another first, not from a safety case or new route but from its virtual driver being scored as if it were a human one. According to Nauto, a fleet safety technology provider, Kodiak’s virtual driver, called the Kodiak Driver, passed with flying colors.
The safety scoring system is called VERA and stands for Visually Enhanced Risk Assessment. It’s Nauto’s proprietary safety benchmark that looks at human driving behaviors to determine a driver’s safety over a period of time. The Kodiak Driver scored a 98 out of 100 possible points among more than 1,000 commercial fleets in Nauto’s network.
For human drivers, there was a silver lining: Kodiak’s virtual driver ended up tying with a human fleet that also scored a 98. For an average driver, according to Nauto, their VERA score is 78 for a fleet with Nauto’s safety tech, and fleets without it scored an average of 63. But a key question is what the scores mean, and how this bodes for other autonomous trucking companies that, at the moment, are only using third-party safety cases and validations.
To answer these questions, FreightWaves interviewed Dr. Stefan Heck, CEO and founder of Nauto, along with Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics, to discover what this means and what the future looks like for measuring the performance of these new robotic drivers.
Read the full article here.
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PlusAI, International and NVIDIA move closer to autonomous truck commercialization
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(Photo: Thomas Wasson/FreightWaves)
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Development of Level 4 autonomous trucks is moving closer to full commercialization, according to a recent partnership update among trucking original equipment manufacturer International, autonomous truck technology maker PlusAI and NVIDIA.
These new factory-built vehicles will be built by International, with PlusAI providing SuperDrive, the virtual driver. The AI computing power comes from NVIDIA, whose DRIVE AGX Thor compute platform is powered by custom-built Blackwell chips specifically designed for AI workloads to make safe autonomous driving possible.
“We are excited about the advancements we’re making in our autonomy program with our global autonomy partner PlusAI. Building on our fleet trials in Texas, the collaboration with NVIDIA and PlusAI is an important step on our path to production,” said Tobias Glitterstam, senior vice president and chief strategy and transformation officer at International, in a press release.
The collaboration between International and PlusAI was announced earlier in September and involved customer fleet trials using second-generation autonomous trucks. The pilots took place along the Interstate 35 corridor in Texas that runs between Laredo and Dallas.
Read the full article here.
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Volvo touts heavy-duty truck electrification gains
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(Chart: Volvo Trucks North America)
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Volvo Trucks North America has established itself as the leader in heavy-duty electrification with more than 700 Volvo VNR Electric trucks now operating across the United States and Canada. According to a press release, the company notes that these electric vehicles have collectively traveled more than 20 million zero-tailpipe-emission miles, resulting in an estimated reduction of 34,000 metric tons of CO2. This is equivalent to removing more than 7,000 passenger cars from the road for an entire year.
The North American results contribute significantly to Volvo Trucks’ global electrification efforts. Since launching its first electric trucks in 2019, Volvo has delivered more than 5,700 electric vehicles across 50 countries, accumulating 250 million kilometers (155 million miles) in operation. The company commands a significant share of the EV truck market with more than a 30% share in the North American electric truck segment over the past five years.
To support the EV truck growth, Volvo Trucks has rapidly expanded its dealer support network to 83 Certified EV dealerships across 33 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces since the first certification in July 2021. These certified dealers have completed comprehensive EV training and made significant facility upgrades as part of an integrated sales and service support strategy for their battery-electric trucks.
The company is advancing a three-pronged approach to decarbonization through battery-electric trucks, fuel-cell electric vehicles and more efficient combustion engines. The recently introduced Volvo VNL delivers up to 10% better fuel efficiency than its predecessor, representing substantial emissions reductions for long-haul operations.
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Bankrupt Nikola’s woes continue with Clean Trucking reporting that the hydrogen fuel-cell and battery-electric Class 8 truckmaker is facing a legal battle with Ontario-based ITD Industries. Jay Traugott notes that ITD filed a lawsuit in Canada, but Nikola insists the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware has jurisdiction. The two companies are litigating over trucks, equipment, warranty costs and the fate of a failed hydrogen station project in Ontario.
Fleets in the public sector can now purchase Motiv electric trucks via a partnership with National Auto Fleet Group (NAFG). The partnership expands access to electric Class 4-6 vehicles for public sector fleets across the U.S. These can include step vans, buses and trucks. Via a Sourcewell contract held by NAFG, public sector access includes negotiated prices and a streamlined procurement process.
FreightWaves’ John Kingston reports that a federal judge in California handed down a preliminary injunction stopping the California Air Resources Board (CARB) from enforcing the Clean Truck Partnership (CTP) against OEMs. Kingston notes that the judge cited a recent lawsuit by California as threatening engine manufacturers with “irreparable harm” if enforcement can proceed.
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As always, thanks for watching and reading.
Thomas Wasson
twasson@firecrown.com
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