Volvo Autonomous Vans to Run on Uber Freight Community – Fleet Administration
Volvo Autonomous Options and Uber Freight mentioned they The 2 firms envision a hybrid future the place autonomous and manually pushed vans work collectively to maneuver items safely and effectively utilizing a hub-to-hub mannequin.
Photograph: Uber Freight/VAS
Uber Freight and Volvo Autonomous Options are partnering to deploy Volvo vans on the Uber Freight community, providing autonomous freight capability to Uber Freight shippers on choose routes, beginning in Texas.
The partnership entails the deep integration of Volvo’s autonomous transport options with Uber Freight’s logistics platform. It is Uber Freight’s first industrial collaboration with an autonomous fleet, and it’ll additionally function considered one of Volvo Autonomous Options’ first clients to pilot their hub-to-hub autonomous providing.
The information marks the start of a strategic partnership between Uber Freight and VAS. Volvo mentioned the partnership is a part of its key buyer program for shippers, carriers, logistics service suppliers, and freight brokers. As part of this system, VAS is forming strategic partnerships with key clients to pilot and ultimately commercialize autonomous transport options.
Volvo Autonomous Options can also be working with Aurora to develop and scale a secure and environment friendly autonomous transport answer with the Aurora Driver and Volvo’s on-highway truck providing. In September 2021, the 2 firms debuted the primary autonomous VNL prototype, Volvo’s flagship long-haul truck.
The autonomous hauling answer provided by Volvo Autonomous Options is predicated on transport as a service (TaaS) and features a automobile purpose-built for autonomous driving, a digital driver, required infrastructure, operations and uptime assist in addition to a cloud answer that controls the transport system and manages logistics flows.
Imaginative and prescient of a Hybrid-Autonomous Freight Future
The 2 firms envision a hybrid future the place autonomous and manually pushed vans work collectively to maneuver items safely and effectively utilizing a hub-to-hub mannequin. Beneath this mannequin, autonomous vans will tackle the long-haul portion of the transport mission whereas manually pushed vans full native operations. Hub-to-hub may even ease a number of the burden of accelerating demand for freight whereas enabling drivers to shift into short-haul jobs nearer to house, in response to the announcement.
Aurora has been growing autonomous vans with Volvo since March 2021 and debuted the primary autonomous VNL in September 2021. Uber Freight has additionally been an early buyer of Aurora since December 2021. Uber Freight and Aurora launched a second autonomous route this month.
Volvo displayed a truck with the Aurora Driver on the American Trucking Associations’ October assembly.
Photograph: Deborah Lockridge
“By integrating our autonomous transport answer with Uber Freight’s market, now we have the chance to find out about buyer wants and construct an answer that advantages the whole business,” mentioned Sasko Cuklev, head of On-Highway Options, Volvo Autonomous Options, “and do that at a time when the business faces unprecedented challenges and wishes it essentially the most.”
“VAS. is a confirmed chief in autonomous expertise,” mentioned Lior Ron, Uber Freight CEO. “The shippers we work with are revolutionary and infrequently early adopters of rising expertise. Our potential to broaden entry to VAS autonomous transport options unlocks larger entry to dependable capability, enhancing the effectivity and sustainability of their provide chains.”
Uber Freight notes that it continues to deepen its collaboration with different firms, from driver-as-a-service expertise suppliers like Aurora and Waymo to OEMs and transportation-as-a-service suppliers like VAS.
