Autonomous driving startup Aurora, founded by former Google self-driving car project leader Chris Urmson, has expanded into Texas.
Aurora said its "small" fleet of vehicles will move to the Dallas and Fort Worth area in the next few weeks. The company is testing its hardware and software in both Chrysler Pacifica minivans, also popular with Urmson's former employers at Waymo, and Class 8 utility trucks.
According to the startup, its first commercial service will operate in the truck segment, "where the market today is the largest, the savings per vehicle unit are the highest, and the level of service requirements is the most acceptable."
Acquiring lidar developer Blackmore and integrating its technology into a truck's autonomous driving system made it possible to transition to this mode of transport, the startup says. Aurora said the FirstLight Lidar has given it a decisive competitive advantage in high-speed driving.
Self-propelled trucks were once considered a niche category in the autonomous vehicle industry. But now the approach to this segment has changed, as there is an understanding of the opportunity to really increase the efficiency of the use of freight transport using autonomous driving technologies.
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Source: 3dnews.ru