Torc Robotics

Who will survive the coming shakeout of lidar suppliers?

In the laser light-bouncing technology space awash with struggling startups, selling to more than autonomous vehicle makers is a popular growth strategy to survive a coming industry shakeout.  

Only one of six startups that began public life via special purpose acquisition company sponsorship in the last year is trading above the typical SPAC offering price of $10 a share. A seventh SPAC merger awaits shareholder approval and is trading close to the $10 mark.

The industry that makes...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/who-will-survive-the-coming-shakeout-of-lidar-suppliers

Selling autonomy: Practical realities meet fully robotic aspirations

Two approaches dominate autonomous trucking: Keep working toward a flawless system that replaces the human driver with a robot. Or market what works today and keep striving for driverless operation.

All developers of high-autonomy Level 4 commercial trucks run real-world miles. Many haul freight on selected routes with safety drivers on board in case something goes wrong. TuSimple generated $1.5 million in revenue from supervised runs on its Autonomous Freight Network in Q2.

Repackaging for use...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/selling-autonomy-practical-realities-meet-fully-robotic-aspirations

Nvidia will compute crushing loads of Embark Trucks’ autonomous data

Autonomous trucking software developer Embark Trucks is collaborating with system-on-a-chip maker Nvidia Corp. to handle the enormous amount of data its plug-and-play autonomous software system generates.

Embark is at least the second autonomous trucking company to tap Nvidia, which is an investor in and works with TuSimple Holdings. Torc Robotics, owned by Daimler Trucks, is using Amazon Web Services to help with its computing needs in creating a Level 4 high-autonomy Freightliner Cascadia...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nvidia-will-compute-crushing-loads-of-embark-trucks-autonomous-data

Exclusive first ride: Plus autonomous truck is a gentle giant on the highway

CUPERTINO, Calif. — So what is it like when a robot is doing the driving of a fully loaded Class 8 heavy-duty truck?

Really smooth. Really well mannered. And the sense that surrounding traffic is oblivious to the likely future of trucking, at least of this hourlong ride on several northern California freeways on a sunny afternoon in early July.

Freightwaves accepted an invitation from startup autonomous trucking software maker Plus to experience the current state of its Level 4 software retrofit...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/exclusive-first-ride-plus-autonomous-truck-is-a-gentle-giant-on-the-highway

Truck Talk: Autonomous prediction edition

This week, we’re playing back what some participants in the Autonomous & Electric Vehicles Summit had to say about the sector’s future, chronicling the growth in Nikola’s dealer network and checking out a very cool new Lego ruck.

Summit voices on autonomous trucking’s future

FreightWaves featured a strong lineup of speakers during Wednesday’s Autonomous & Electric Vehicles Summit. One question that brought divergent answers involved looking at the sector five years out. Will most autonomous...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-autonomous-prediction-edition

AEV Summit: Redundant safety systems key to market-ready robot trucks

This fireside chat is from FreightWaves’ Autonomous & Electric Vehicles Summit on Wednesday.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Working to get Level 4 autonomous trucks on the road

DETAILS: Autonomous trucks must have redundant safety systems or not be done at all,Torc Robotics’ Michael Fleming told FreightWaves’ Alan Adler at the Autonomous & Electric Vehicles Summit on Wednesday.

SPEAKER: Fleming is the CEO of Torc Robotics. 

BIO:  Fleming co-founded Torc Robotics — now an independent subsidiary of Daimler...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/aev-summit-redundant-safety-systems-key-to-market-ready-robot-trucks

Truck Talk: Making the case edition

This week, we’re looking at the meaning of electric trucks delivering groceries, autonomous trucks delivering watermelons and other “firsts” trying to make the case for advanced transportation technologies. And a sort of contrarian view on both.

Proving their mettle

Individually, claims of being first don’t always add up to being newsworthy. But taking a step back to consider the “points on the board” being scored by startup autonomous and electric truck companies may tell a different story.

Consid...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-making-the-case-edition

High-priced technology pushes trucking rivals into unusual alliances

Battery-electric trucks. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Hybrid technologies. Diesel-powered semis. Self-driving trucks. All share a common theme: They are too expensive to develop alone.

Rival truck manufacturers will scrap for every fleet contract. But they increasingly take a pragmatic approach to technology partnerships. 

“We’ve seen it in the past. And it generally works out pretty well,” said Mike Ramsey, a Gartner Inc. vice president and automotive and smart mobility analyst. “Ford and GM...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/high-priced-technology-pushes-trucking-rivals-into-unusual-alliances

Self-driving trucks: A 10 billion-mile proof case for Plus

It seems every autonomous trucking software developer has different commercialization approaches and unique go-to-market timetables.

Take Plus, the Cupertino, California, startup that splits self-driving truck efforts between the U.S. and China. Plus is aggressively moving to install its Level 4 software stack in First Auto Works (FAW) trucks in China. It is selling $10,000-$20,000 retrofits for various makers’ Class 8 semis in the U.S.

“Rather than dozens of trucks, we will have hundreds and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/self-driving-trucks-a-10-billion-mile-proof-case-for-plus

A virtual ride-along in Waymo Via’s latest Class 8 autonomous truck

Waymo Via took to the freeways outside Phoenix on Wednesday to demonstrate its fifth generation of Level 4 autonomous Class 8 trucking. 

The system is still “years away” from production. And while the drive was real, invited media experienced it virtually.

Lessons from Waymo Via’s Peterbilt-based heavy-duty trucks traveling Interstate 10 and Arizona 202 freeways are shared with Waymo’s more mature autonomous ride-hailing service.  Waymo operates Chrysler Pacifica minivans without drivers in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/a-virtual-ride-along-in-waymo-vias-latest-class-8-autonomous-truck

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