Volvo Enters the Era of Driverless Trucks
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| Autonomous Driving |
The autonomous driving startup Wabby has unveiled a new self-driving truck, developed in collaboration with Volvo, called the Volvo VNL Autonomous. This move strengthens the race towards a smart transportation future.
This announcement comes approximately eight months after Wabby and Volvo Autonomous Solutions signed a partnership agreement to develop a customized truck based on Volvo's autonomous driving platform, powered by Wabby's advanced software.
Wabby CEO Raquel Urtasun, a former chief scientist in Uber's autonomous driving division, said the company has the potential to be the first to launch commercial trucks without a human driver or a human observer in the cab, according to a report by TechCrunch.
"We're currently operating on the streets of Texas, and you'll soon see us across the United States in the coming years," Urtasun added. This move is seen as an indirect response to competitor Aurora, which launched a commercial self-driving truck service between Dallas and Houston earlier this year, but later added a human observer in the cab for safety reasons.
Wabby's new truck relies on the Wabby Driver AI platform, an integrated system that enables the truck to navigate autonomously on highways and public roads with high efficiency and scalability across multiple geographic areas, making it suitable for large-scale commercial transport operations.
Urtasun said the Volvo VNL Autonomous was designed from the ground up with integrated backup safety systems that allow for the complete elimination of the human driver, noting that its specialized sensors The truck is lightweight and easy to integrate into production lines.
It's worth noting that Wabi's partnership with Volvo follows the latter's investment in the company in 2023 through its investment arm, Volvo Group Venture Capital. Volvo also participated in Wabi's Series B funding round, which raised approximately $200 million in 2024.
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