Daimler unveils autonomous truck

Daimler Trucks launched its newly developed autonomous transport truck, the Freightliner Inspiration, at an event that turned the Hoover Dam in Nevada into a large projection screen. The Level 3 autonomous truck uses Highway Pilot sensors and hardware with cameras and radar to safely operate under a range of highway conditions, and has been granted a licence to operate in Nevada. The Freightliner Inspiration is based on the US Freightliner Cascadia model, but with the addition of the Highway Pilot techno
May 7, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
2069 Daimler Trucks launched its newly developed autonomous transport truck, the Freightliner Inspiration, at an event that turned the Hoover Dam in Nevada into a large projection screen. The Level 3 autonomous truck uses Highway Pilot sensors and hardware with cameras and radar to safely operate under a range of highway conditions, and has been granted a licence to operate in Nevada.

The Freightliner Inspiration is based on the US Freightliner Cascadia model, but with the addition of the Highway Pilot technology that modified it for use on American highways.

As soon as the truck is on the highway, the driver can activate the Highway Pilot system, which system uses a stereo camera and radar systems with lane-keeping and collision-prevention functions. It regulates the speed, applies the brakes and steers, but does not initiate autonomous passing manoeuvres, which must be executed by the driver, who must also steer when leaving the highway and changing lanes. The driver can deactivate the Highway Pilot manually and is able to override the system at any time.

The adaptive cruise control system of the Freightliner Inspiration Truck uses the same hardware and software as the series production variants of the Mercedes-Benz Actros and Freightliner Cascadia Evolution. The active power steering system uses the same hardware as the production vehicles; however, the software has been modified. The steering gear installed in the Freightliner Inspiration Truck has been used in Mercedes-Benz trucks since 2011.

According to Daimler, the autonomous truck will increase fuel efficiency, improve traffic safety and reduce CO2 emissions.
Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • VTT's autonomous cars take to public roads
    May 18, 2017
    The autonomous cars developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are able to exchange information with each other and their driving environment. They are able to follow a pre-programmed route and avoid collisions with sudden obstacles without input from the driver. The cars currently require the lane markings or sides of the road to be visible. However, by 2020, VTT says the cars will be driving in more demanding conditions on roads covered in gravel and snow. The autonomous cars feature a thermal
    Read More
  • Proposed system to take guesswork out of choosing a freeway lane
    March 17, 2014
    A fledgling advanced lane management assist system can take the guesswork out of selecting the right lane on a congested freeway, as its inventor Robert Gordon explains. As drivers we’ve all done it and control room staff see it all the time – motorists on congested freeways switching into what they perceive is a faster lane, only to come to a halt a few moments later and watch vehicles in the other lanes continue to move past. Now, by re-analysing readily available data in an advanced lane management as
    Read More
  • More than half of UK’s new cars sold with autonomous safety tech
    April 4, 2016
    Self driving cars may seem years away, but more than 1.5 million UK motorists a year now leave showrooms in cars featuring self-activating safety systems, according to analysis revealed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

    Data from SMMT and JATO Dynamics shows that more than half of new cars registered in 2015 were fitted with safety-enhancing collision warning systems, with other technologies such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and blind spot monitoring also surging in popularity.
    Read More
  • TEXpress adds reversible managed lanes
    April 19, 2017
    Land availability restrictions and tidal traffic flows have led to the implementation of a novel managed lane configuration in Texas, as Colin Sowman finds out. Dealing with traffic congestion related to the ‘tidal flows’ caused by large numbers of commuters making their way into major business hubs in the morning and returning to the suburbs in the evening, has seen the widespread use of adaptive signal timing and even reversible lanes.
    Read More

Highlighted Content