Aurora partners with PacCar to create driverless trucks – 01/19/2021:  Read more

Self-driving startup Aurora today announced a partnership with PacCar to develop and deploy autonomous trucks. It’s Aurora’s very first industrial application in trucking, and the organization says it will combine its engineering teams about an “accelerated development program” to make driverless-capable trucks beginning with the Peterbilt 479 and the Kenworth T680.(...) 

GM, Cruise partner with Microsoft to speed up self-driving EV technology – 01/19/2021:  Read more

General Motors and its self-driving car subsidiary Cruise will partner with Microsoft to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles, the companies said Tuesday. Additionally, GM will use Microsoft as its preferred public cloud provider, working with it to improve the automaker's advances in digital technology and robotics.(...) 

Apple to adopt a 'go big or go home' strategy for 'Apple Car,' analyst says – 01/12/2021:  Read more

Investment bank JP Morgan expects the "Apple Car" to be a fully autonomous vehicle that Apple manufactures itself toward the end of the 2020s. In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, lead analyst Samik Chatterjee outlines some of JP Morgan's predictions about the "Apple Car." That includes what its debut could imply for Apple, the automotive market, and the technology industry..(...) 

Intel's self-driving car unit plans to step up use of its own radar tech by 2025 – 01/12/2021:  Read more

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The head of Intel Corp’s self-driving car subsidiary said on Tuesday the company wants to shift toward using its own radar-based technology and use a single lidar sensor per vehicle by 2025 in a bid to lower the cost of autonomous driving..(...) 

Self-driving vehicles allowed to skip some crash safety standards under new rule – 01/14/2021:  Read more

Washington — The Trump Administration issued final rules Thursday that will allow self-driving vehicle manufacturers to skip certain federal crash safety requirements in vehicles that aren't designed to carry people. It marks the first major update to existing federal safety standards to accommodate innovations in driverless technology.(...) 

Waymo is dropping the term ‘self-driving,’ but not everyone in the industry is on board – 01/07/2021:  Read more

Waymo will no longer use the term “self-driving” to describe the technology it has been developing for more than a decade, opting instead for “autonomous.” The Alphabet company said that this seemingly small shift is an important effort to clarify what the technology does and doesn’t do.(...) 

What Biden Presidency Means for AV Industry – 01/05/2021:  Read more

As the world looks to technological solutions to bolster the efficiency and safety of their communities, the U.S. will need to prioritize AV regulation on the federal level and embrace technological collaboration on an international level.(...) 

Waymo CEO: Launching a self-driving car is harder than launching a rocket – 01/04/2021:  Read more

What’s harder than getting a rocket into space? Getting self-driving cars to actually work… at least according to the boss of Waymo, Google’s self-driving vehicle spinoff. In an interview with the Financial Times, Waymo’s Chief Executive John Krafcik said the process of developing autonomous vehicles is an “extraordinary grind.”(...) 

Top 25 autonomous shuttle manufacturers  –   Read more

Autonomous vehicles have become an unsettling reality. Unsettling for some who can’t get used to the idea of cars driving themselves – too spooky, like ghosts living and driving among us. While those feelings of apprehension may prevent driverless cars taking to public roads for many years, manufacturers of autonomous shuttles are already doing a brisk trade..(...)

Caterpillar Showcased Autonomous Mega-Truck Fleet for Next-Gen Mining – 01/13/2021:  Read more
For Caterpillar, mining technology's future is rooted in 284-ton autonomous trucks, working 24/7. Caterpillar makes some of the most impressive mining machines in the world. Its trucks go where no other trucks can, performing complex tasks and hauling raw ore like no other trucks can, largely thanks to their massive size. However, few may be aware that Caterpillar isn't letting the monolithic size of its fleet vehicles stop it from pioneering autonomous technology.. (...)

Kodiak Robotics hits milestone in driverless trucking – 01/10/2021:  Read more
Self-driving truck technology company completes over 800 miles of highway driving without intervention from a safety driver.Kodiak Robotics, one of a handful of startups aiming to automate commercial trucking, has successfully completed “disengage-free” deliveries on a 205-mile stretch of Texas highway. Disengage-free means safety drivers did not have to take control of the truck’s autonomous vehicle system. (...)

TuSimple among autonomous truck companies to join Self-Driving Coalition – 01/11/2021:  Read more

The coalition to form policies and build public trust surrounding self-driving vehicles was founded by Ford, Lyft, Uber, Volvo, and Waymo. The new group of Embark, Kodiak, and TuSimple are the first to be exclusively dedicated to autonomous vehicles.The Self-Driving Coalition, which was formed in 2016 to educate and evangelize the public, politicians, and regulators on the merits of self-driving vehicle.(...) 

Nuro acquires self-driving truck startup Ike – 12/23/2020:  Read more

Driverless truck company Ike today announced that it’s been acquired by Nuro, the autonomous delivery vehicle startup, for an undisclosed amount. Ike says it’s already begun work on integration of its 55 employees and technology and that joining forces with Nuro will allow it to “move faster on an ambitious mission to make people’s lives better with automated vehicles.”(...)