When it comes to autonomous , self-steering vehicles, most of the public attention has been focused on the Goggle car and heavy applications in the mining and national defense sectors.
But Daimler Trucks is one commercial truck manufacturer to unveil its self-driving “truck of the future. The company stated the vehicle is a “quantum leap in road freight transport in terms of safety, efficiency and connectivity.”
The highway test pilot for the technologically advanced vehicle will be launched as early as 2025 “if conditions permit,” Daimler said.
“The truck of the future is a Mercedes-Benz that drives itself,” said Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, the member of Daimler’s board of management responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses.
The truck is equipped with the “extremely intelligent” Highway Pilot assistance system which enables it to drive completely autonomously at speeds of up to 85 km/h.
Bernhard said the truck “is our response to the major challenges and opportunities associated with road freight transport of the future” including connectivity to its complete environment — the infrastructure and members of the motoring public — and its economy and last but certainly not least, its safety advantages.
“If the legislative framework for autonomous driving can be created quickly, the launch of the Highway Pilot is conceivable by the middle of the next decade,” Bernhard said. “That’s why Daimler Trucks is committed to maintain a dialogue with government officials and authorities and with all other parties affected by its development. We believe the chances are good because autonomous driving combines the ability to achieve business and technology objectives with the creation of benefits for society and the environment.”
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