Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation, a self-driving technology company, has debuted its second-generation driverless trucks, the company announced on Wednesday.
Aurora plans to deploy the new trucks on its commercial network in the Sun Belt.
Aurora deployed Class 8 trucks powered by its self-driving system on public roads last year, and they have completed nearly 440,000 driverless miles. The second-generation trucks, based on the International LT Series vehicle, are powered by hardware that is more powerful and built to last 1 million miles. The company closed its bar for operations on public roads without a person behind the wheel for the truck and hardware prior to launch.
“Last year’s driverless launch proved our technology could operate safely on public roads – our new platform now provides the foundation to deliver at scale,” Chris Urmson, Aurora CEO and co-founder, said. “Deploying our second-generation truck allows us to put hundreds of autonomous trucks on the road and ultimately into the hands of more customers.”
Roush, a product development supplier, installed redundant systems and integrated Aurora’s next-generation hardware into the new trucks at an Aurora production facility. The companies formalized an upfit process, and Roush is positioned to reach an annual production run-rate of 1,000 Aurora trucks later this year.