Industry News

Volvo announces long term partnership with US-based self-driving company

Volvo Autonomous Solutions has partnered with Aurora to jointly develop globally leading autonomous transport solutions at scale.

The initial focus of the long-term partnership is to develop and deploy an autonomous transport solution for hub to hub applications for North America.

Under the agreement both companies will jointly develop on-highway autonomous trucks.

Automation, according to Volvo Group, is aimed at creating tangible benefits for both customers and society in terms of productivity, safety, sustainability and energy efficiency.

Integration of the Aurora Driver into Volvo’s on-highway trucks is a major priority of the partnership and it includes the development of industry-leading Transport as a Service solutions.

These solutions are anticipated to build on Volvo’s products and track record within safety and Aurora’s deep expertise in the development of self-driving systems.

“Creating a viable autonomous on-highway offering requires close partnerships with both customers and tech partners to develop the needed capabilities,” says Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions.

“This exciting partnership brings our goal of transport as a service an important step closer and will accelerate our commercial offer for hub-to-hub applications in North America. Aurora is already a leading force in autonomous systems, and its integrated self-driving stack, software, hardware and data services platform combine to offer a clear path towards efficient and safe on-highway solutions in the medium term.”

Aurora Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Sterling Anderson acknowledged that since its first project collaboration with Volvo in 2018, Aurora had developed a deep respect for Volvo, its engineering process, and its commitment to safety.

“With the groundwork now laid through the establishment of Volvo Autonomous Solutions and the creation of Aurora’s industry-leading sensor suite, we’re excited to join forces to develop self-driving solutions with Volvo’s impressive network of customers,” he said.

Previously announced Volvo Group collaborations with partners such as Nvidia and others continue in parallel with the collaboration with Aurora.

COVID-related supply chain disruptions including the recent container ship blockade in the Suez Canal had impacted Volvo’s supply of semiconductors which it announced would adversely affect its production of commercial vehicles in the second quarter this year.

This would set in motion stop days across its global truck manufacturing operations. Disturbances are also expected to impact the commercial vehicle manufacturer’s other business areas.

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