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German automaker giant Daimler revealed last week that it had acquired a controlling stake in Torc Robotics, a standalone truck technology company, according to Transport Topics.
Torc develops Level 4 autonomous truck technology, which designates when a vehicle can behave in most scenarios when roads are pre-mapped. Through the investment, the engineering and software development teams of the two companies will work together to build Level 4 standalone trolleys, including software, sensors and cameras embedded in such a system. .
Here is what it means:The agreement with Torc demonstrates that Daimler is reinforcing its commitment to achieving level 4 autonomy for semi-trailers.
- In January, Daimler said he believed there was "no business case" in the pack. According to the company, the fuel savings achieved by the platoon technology it tested were not as great as expected. Daimler has therefore decided to focus on the development of level 4 trucks and to set a very ambitious goal, namely the publication of a fully autonomous semi-trailer over the next decade. Daimler's approach – as we noted at the time – differs significantly from that of the autonomous truck industry, with other players remaining committed to the development of platoon technology.
- Working with Torc could potentially allow Daimler to market a Level 4 semi-trailer earlier than planned. Torc has been developing autonomous driving technologies since its founding in 2005, bringing with it a wealth of experience and skills that Daimler can exploit. In fact, Daimler Trucks North America CEO Roger Nielsen told Transport Topics that the collaboration with Torc "gives us a chance to make a big leap forward".
The largest image:If Daimler's partnership with Troc accelerates the development of its Level 4 freestanding trucks, it could trigger an arms race among legacy truck builders to develop their own Level 4 trucks, completely bypbading the section. Daimler that exceeds or exceeds its Tier 4 self-sufficiency schedule in its semi-trailers could force long-standing competitors, such as Volvo Trucks and PACCAR – both equipped with autonomous trucks in development – to devote more resources (or rebadign them to other areas) to achieve level 4 autonomy to avoid losing customers to Daimler.
However, not all trucking companies should avoid platoons in hopes of avoiding Daimler. Companies such as TuSimple and Embark probably can not afford to play long games and try to beat Daimler in full autonomy. Instead, they have a short-term opportunity to conquer a segment of the autonomous truck market via their platoon systems while Daimler is working on a completely autonomous technology.
Daimler still has a long way to go, but the Barter partnership could accelerate its progress towards full autonomy by the decade. Achieving this goal would give Daimler a valuable advantage as a forerunner in a lucrative segment: the global market for self-driving heavy trucks will increase by more than 50% between 2020 and 2025 to reach nearly $ 1.7 billion, according to estimates from Allied Market Research.
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