Car stuff (public number: chedongxi)
Author | The Way
Edited | Mumi
According to foreign media reports, the self-driving technology company Waymo and the logistics company C.H. Robinson (Robinson Global Logistics Co., Ltd. of the United States) has reached a partnership to test self-driving trucks in Texas.
Waymo focuses on Robinson's logistics platform of 200,000 customers and more than 3 million routes, while Robinson focuses on the potential of Waymo's self-driving technology in freight.
It is reported that in the past two years, Waymo has continuously reached cooperation agreements with a number of companies in order to test the automatic driving system developed by Waymo, rather than directly purchasing the vehicle's self-assembly system as before. Up to now, Waymo has reached self-driving car cooperation agreements with Volvo, car rental giants Avis and Geely.
First, Waymo provides truck teams and personnel Robinson provides a platform
Waymo, spun off from Google's self-driving car project, is expanding their fleet of self-driving Class 8 trucks (U.S. trucks are divided into 8 classes and Level 8 is heavy-duty) and forging a new partnership with logistics company Robinson.
In the coming months, Waymo plans to deploy self-driving heavy trucks in Texas with safety drivers. Robinson will be one of the early adopters of Waymo's automated freight forwarding technology.
After the partnership, Waymo will provide safety drivers and use Waymo's test fleet to deliver cargo between Dallas and Houston for Robinson's customers. The two companies will work together to enable the continuous expansion of autonomous driving technology across the industry.
C.H. Robinson uses trucks to transport equipment for customers
Second, the advantages of the Robinson platform appear to be conducive to waymo's promotion business
Robinson is one of the world's largest logistics platforms, with a business network of nearly 200,000 shippers and carriers, as well as data on more than 3 million routes, which provides Waymo with valuable experience that can help Waymo test and improve logistics technology more effectively.
Robinson also offers a platform for connecting shippers with autonomous vehicle capabilities, which also lays the groundwork for Waymo to bring logistics technology to more shipping partners. This achievement will be part of Waymo Via, a logistics business that will continue to expand its "driver-as-a-service" business model in the future to make freight delivery more efficient and cost-effective.
Charlie Jatt, Head of Freight Commercialization at Waymo Via, said: "We look forward to working with Robinson not only because of their deep roots and experience in logistics and transportation, but also as a company that shares technology and autonomous trucking with us, they know how to make our industry better. In addition, Robinson's size, scale, and platform allow us to have a wealth of exclusive traffic data and customer relationships and testing opportunities to help bring our Waymo Via solutions to market. ”
Waymo's "driver-as-a-service" business model
Third, self-driving trucks can be on duty 24 hours The difficulty of landing is low
Because self-driving trucks can run 24 hours a day, and human-powered truck drivers must take mandatory breaks, self-driving trucks have an advantage in working hours.
In addition, self-driving trucks can also help solve the long-term shortage of truck drivers in the industry, which is even more prominent during the epidemic prevention and control period. So in addition to developing autonomous vehicles that carry people, Waymo has also developed complete self-driving hardware and software for trucks that the company calls "Waymo Driver," which Waymo calls its drivers "the most experienced drivers in the world."
In 2020, Waymo announced that all of its fleet of self-driving heavy-duty trucks will have highway driving capabilities, and Waymo Driver is the basis for the development of all Waymo self-driving vehicles.
Many analysts predict that self-driving trucks carrying cargo will soon appear on highways, much earlier than self-driving cars carrying passengers. From an engineering perspective, it is much easier to develop a self-driving truck for highway driving than to develop an unmanned passenger vehicle or unmanned taxi capable of driving on city streets packed with other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles. Self-driving trucks can also greatly improve safety, efficiency, and cost, which is extremely attractive to leading freight companies such as Robinson and JB Hunt.
▲Waymo autonomous driving heavy truck cab
Waymo will sell self-driving trucks and continue to study technology
Waymo first developed waymo Driver's self-driving software, and then worked with foundry companies such as Daimler Trucks to install the necessary hardware on the truck. Waymo is currently installing self-driving software into heavy-duty trucks produced by Daimler trucks and plans to sell these trucks to fleet operators and shippers.
Once the truck is sold, Waymo Via, Waymo's logistics service, will provide deployment support and service support for all hardware and software for the truck. For shippers like Robinson with a well-established core business and carrier network, Waymo's approach is for them to continue to "do what they do best," and it's only responsible for technical issues.
Chris O'Brien, Chief Commercial Officer of Robinson, said: "We are delighted to partner with Waymo Via to explore how autonomous driving technology can incorporate increased capacity and sustainability into our logistics strategy. We will work together with customers and carriers to take advantage of this emerging freight technology. ”
▲ Waymo and UPS Express cooperate in self-driving heavy trucks
Waymo has been working on self-driving technology for heavy-duty trucks since 2017, and as part of Google's self-driving car project, the development of its self-driving passenger car began in 2009. In October 2015, when Google reorganized alphabet, it spun off the self-driving car project into Waymo, and both Google and Waymo are now wholly owned subsidiaries of parent company Alphabet.
With years of google support and more than a decade of development, Waymo is considered the industry front-end of autonomous driving technology in the United States. As the company continues to refine and refine Waymo Driver, Waymo's self-driving test fleet has driven more than 25 million miles (about 4,023 kilometers) on public roads and billions of miles in computer simulations.
▲ Waymo self-driving cars and heavy trucks
Conclusion: Waymo will continue to expand its collaboration on self-driving trucks
Waymo and a new group of startups are actively working to deploy self-driving trucks for freight and are racing to build partnerships with shipping lines to deploy them. Companies competing with Waymo include TuSimple, Aurora, Embark and Torc Robotics, among others.
Last month, Waymo announced it was expanding its partnership with transporter JB Hunt. After successful self-driving truck tests last year, the two companies formed a long-term strategic alliance to commercialize self-driving technology for heavy-duty trucks.
In the future, Waymo will continue to expand technical cooperation on autonomous trucks, promote the "driver-as-a-service" business model, and continue to develop its business in the field of autonomous trucks.