The future is now: Integrating fleets and self-driving trucks
As Plus and its OEM partners gear up for the commercial launch of factory-built driverless trucks in the next two years, a crucial next step is to focus on the operational challenges and opportunities that will come from deploying autonomous vehicles with fleet customers in real-world scenarios.
“Over the past couple of years, what we’ve seen is an industry that has started to mature, in terms of technology, supply chain, and the development of vehicle platforms,” said James Cooper, director of Autonomous Business Development at International.
“Now we’re at the point where we need to show how this technology can work, how it can create value and what it can do in the real world,” Cooper said.
Cooper joined Amisha Vadalia, VP of Operations and Program Management at Plus, in a fireside chat titled “From Vision to Reality: The Path to Autonomous Trucks.” The conversation, which took place during the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, was moderated by Earl Adams, Jr., VP of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Plus.
The value of partnership
Close collaboration between Plus and the TRATON GROUP has been key to the success Plus and its partners have achieved already. Through its collaboration with the TRATON brands International, MAN and Scania, Plus has been testing trucks equipped with SuperDrive™, its virtual driver, on public roads in the U.S. and Europe.
The global nature of the partnership has enabled Plus to gather vast amounts of data and over 5 million miles of real-world experience in different driving conditions and regulatory scenarios, improving the safety, robustness and scalability of the system. Vadalia noted that Plus is making progress on its safety case framework and recently completed an important milestone: validation tests of a fully driverless truck on a closed track, where the vehicle was able to conduct a variety of maneuvers and respond to simulated technical problems with no human intervention.
“If you want to integrate a Level 4 software into a semi-truck, you need to ensure there is tight integration between the base vehicle software and autonomous software,” Vadalia said. “Partnerships like what you’re seeing between Plus and TRATON enable that.”
A strong culture fit between the two companies has also been critical to staying focused on what the customers want and “bringing something quite revolutionary to the market,” Cooper said.
All eyes on fleets
Fleet customers are cautiously optimistic about the advent of autonomy. They are convinced of the reality that it is coming, Cooper said, but want to understand how and when the technology will scale and how operational processes will adapt.
One concern is what happens in the case of an adverse event while the truck is on the road. Allaying those fears, Vadalia explained that the autonomous driving system is continuously monitoring the base vehicle and sensor system. Remote monitors can detect a tire blowout, for example, and can respond immediately by sending a team to fix the problem and/or ensure the truck moves off the road safely.
“The end goal of TRATON and Plus is that the truck is able to handle a wide range of situations just as calmly and safely as a human driver would,” said Vadalia.
International and Plus plan to launch commercial pilots this year, before starting factory production in the next few years. These pilots will help the partners proactively learn and address how autonomous trucks will be integrated into real-world fleet operations.
Ensuring a level of rigor and process in safely bringing autonomous technology to market is key to maintaining the relationship of trust between International and its fleet customers, Cooper emphasized. Making the safety case also involves participating in “an emotional journey” with fleets and the public to demonstrate how these trucks are safe and can be safer than manual operations.
Widening the circle
Ultimately, customers will innovate their own solutions, enhancing the benefits of autonomy for industry and society. Looking ahead, said Cooper, “I’m most excited about what fleets are going to bring to the table as they increase engagement and utilize this technology to really change the game in over-the-road transport.”
