21st January 2021
An agreement has been signed by PACCAR and Aurora to develop, test and commercialise autonomous trucks.
Peterbilt and Kenworth cabs will be used for the project, which will integrate PACCAR’s autonomous vehicle platform with Aurora Driver.
Aurora provides a range of self-driving technologies, including hardware, software and operational services. These specific elements will be integrated into reliable, established trucks from the PACCAR brands.
The partnership also covers vehicle validation and production support, which will both handled at PACCAR facilities.
The main aims of the autonomous truck initiative are to improve freight efficiency and boost safety for PACCAR customers.
PACCAR says Kenworth T680 and Peterbilt 579 autonomous trucks will run in North America in ‘the next several years’.
“PACCAR looks forward to partnering with Aurora because of their industry-leading autonomous driving technology,” said Preston Feight, PACCAR CEO. “This strategic partnership complements PACCAR’s best-in-class commercial vehicle quality, technology and innovation.”
“Aurora is excited to take this next step in our collaboration with PACCAR,” added Chris Urmson, Aurora co-founder. “This partnership brings us closer to unlocking the autonomous freight market and delivering goods to those who need them.”