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Toyota partners with Waymo to develop autonomous driving tech

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Toyota and Waymo have reached a preliminary agreement to explore a collaboration focused on accelerating the development and deployment of autonomous driving technologies.

Woven by Toyota will also join the potential collaboration as Toyota’s strategic enabler, contributing its strengths in advanced software and mobility innovation. This potential partnership is built on a shared vision of improving road safety and delivering increased mobility for all.

Toyota and Waymo aim to combine their respective strengths to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform. [Read more…] about Toyota partners with Waymo to develop autonomous driving tech

Top 10 autonomous truck companies: Powering into the future

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Autonomous trucks are one of the most exciting developments in any automotive category, in our opinion. The main reason we think this is because we can’t see autonomous cars being given permission by governments to operate freely on public roads.

Autonomous trucks, meanwhile, have already racked up many years of happy operating in the mining sector – and that is likely to grow, and maybe encompass moving non-mining materials and goods as well. This might need tweaks such as driving at night on lonely highways, but that’s not a problem if you’re not human, of course.

Whether you compare them to other segments or not, autonomous trucks are at the forefront of technological advancements in transportation. These vehicles are designed to navigate and operate without human intervention, and represent a paradigm shift in logistics, freight, and commercial transportation.

The journey toward autonomous trucking began with prototypes and pilot tests that challenged the boundaries of innovation.

The first autonomous truck to make headlines in this recent era – let’s say the past 10 to 15 years – was a prototype developed by Daimler Trucks, which successfully completed a public road test in Nevada in 2015. This milestone marked the start of widespread interest and investment in autonomous truck technology. [Read more…] about Top 10 autonomous truck companies: Powering into the future

Is Waymo Safer than Cruise?

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According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, 42,939 drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and others died in 2021 across the U.S. and Puerto Rico as the result of 39,508 crashes involving 61,322 vehicles. The estimated national economic impact exceeded $340 billion.

Data from previous decades revealed fewer yearly crashes, vehicles and related deaths. Although the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent distractions and adverse events likely increased the 2021 numbers, experts believe an increase in the world population might lead to a pattern of ever-increasing crashes every year going forward.

That said, the rate of crash deaths out of 100,000 people remains low. In fact, the 2021 numbers were 39% lower than similar data in the 40 years prior. As a result, proponents of self-driving tech believe their vehicles will reduce overall yearly deaths and injuries, while offering convenience and other benefits. [Read more…] about Is Waymo Safer than Cruise?

Daimler Trucks and Waymo partner on the development of autonomous SAE Level 4 trucks

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Daimler Trucks and Waymo have signed a broad, global, strategic partnership to implement autonomous SAE Level 4 technology. Their initial effort will combine Waymo’s industry-leading automated driver technology with a unique version of Daimler’s Freightliner Cascadia, to enable autonomous driving.

Waymo brings over a decade of experience building what it has trademarked as the “World’s Most Experienced Driver”, having driven over 20 million miles on public roads across 25 US cities and 15 billion miles in simulation.

Daimler Trucks North America, Daimler Trucks’ US subsidiary, parent company of the Freightliner brand and the US market leader in commercial vehicle manufacturing, provides their experience in developing “state-of-the art Class 8 vehicles”. [Read more…] about Daimler Trucks and Waymo partner on the development of autonomous SAE Level 4 trucks