08
Gennaio
2019
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15:49
Europe/Amsterdam
Daimler Trucks invests half a billion Euros in highly automated trucks
CES 2019
Im Jahr 2015 erhielt der Freightliner Inspiration Truck die erste Straßenzulassung für ein automatisiertes Nutzfahrzeug. Nun hat Daimler Trucks auf der Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas bekanntgegeben, hochautomatisierte Lkw (SAE Level 4) binnen eines Jahrzehnts zur Marktreife zu bringen. In 2015, the Freightliner Inspiration Truck got the first road license ever for an automated commercial vehicle. Now Daimler Trucks announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, that it will bring highly automated trucks (SAE level 4) to the road within a decade.
CES 2019
Freightliner new Cascadia, January 2019. Technical Data: Exterior, black, 126BBC w/72Ó Raised Roof Sleeper, DD15 w/ 400HP & 1,750 lb/ft torque, DT12 Direct Drive, AeroX Package, Professional Exterior Finish Appearance Package with additional black powder-coated items, Detroit Connect Virtual Technician Freightliner new Cascadia, January 2019. Technical Data: Exterior, black, 126BBC w/72Ó Raised Roof Sleeper, DD15 w/ 400HP & 1,750 lb/ft torque, DT12 Direct Drive, AeroX Package, Professional Exterior Finish Appearance Package with additional black powder-coated items, Detroit Connect Virtual Technician
Riepilogo
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World premiere of the new Freightliner Cascadia with partially automated driving features (level 2)
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Start of series development of highly automated driving (level 4), enabling automated driving mode on specific routes without required user intervention
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Increasing safety, boosting transportation performance and significantly cutting costs per mile
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New R&D center for automated trucks fosters knowledge transfer for accelerated speed of innovation
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Martin Daum: “As a leader of our industry, we’ve been pioneering automated trucking. In 2015, our Freightliner Inspiration Truck got the first road license ever for an automated commercial vehicle. Now we take automated trucking to the next level: we’re ready to launch the first partially automated new Freightliner Cascadia in 2019 – and next, we tackle highly automated trucks. Highly automated trucks will improve safety, boost the performance of logistics and offer a great value proposition to our customers – and thus contribute considerably to a sustainable future of transportation.”
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World premiere of the new Freightliner Cascadia with partially automated driving features (level 2)
-
Start of series development of highly automated driving (level 4), enabling automated driving mode on specific routes without required user intervention
-
Increasing safety, boosting transportation performance and significantly cutting costs per mile
-
New R&D center for automated trucks fosters knowledge transfer for accelerated speed of innovation
-
Martin Daum: “As a leader of our industry, we’ve been pioneering automated trucking. In 2015, our Freightliner Inspiration Truck got the first road license ever for an automated commercial vehicle. Now we take automated trucking to the next level: we’re ready to launch the first partially automated new Freightliner Cascadia in 2019 – and next, we tackle highly automated trucks. Highly automated trucks will improve safety, boost the performance of logistics and offer a great value proposition to our customers – and thus contribute considerably to a sustainable future of transportation.”
Today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Daimler Trucks announced that it will invest EUR 500 million (around 570 million USD) over the next years and create more than 200 new jobs in its global push to bring highly automated trucks (SAE level 4) to the road within a decade. Highly automated driving is characterized as automated travel in defined areas and between defined hubs without any expectation of the system that a user will respond to a request to intervene. In commercial trucking, level 4 is the natural next step after level 2, increasing efficiency and productivity for customers, cutting costs per mile significantly. In doing so, Daimler Trucks is skipping the intermediate step of conditionally automated driving (level 3). Level 3 automated driving does not offer truck customers a substantial advantage compared to the current situation as there are no corresponding benefits to compensate for the technology costs.
The new Freightliner Cascadia offers partially automated driving features (level 2), making it the first-ever partially automated series production truck on North American roads. It also made its world premiere during today’s presentation of Daimler Trucks at CES.
Daimler Trucks has been a pioneer of automated truck development for years. In 2014, the world’s leading truck manufacturer presented the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025, the world’s first automated truck, and was the first to demonstrate the technological opportunities and great potential that automated trucks have for the economy and society.
Martin Daum, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Daimler Trucks & Buses: “As a leader of our industry, we’ve been pioneering automated trucking. In 2015, our Freightliner Inspiration Truck got the first road license ever for an automated commercial vehicle. Now we take automated trucking to the next level: we’re ready to launch the first partially automated new Freightliner Cascadia in 2019 – and next, we tackle highly automated trucks. Highly automated trucks will improve safety, boost the performance of logistics and offer a great value proposition to our customers – and thus contribute considerably to a sustainable future of transportation.”
Level 2 automated driving now a reality in the new Freightliner Cascadia
With Active Drive Assist (Mercedes-Benz Actros, FUSO Super Great) and Detroit Assurance 5.0 with Active Lane Assist (Freightliner new Cascadia), Daimler Trucks is already bringing partially automated driving features into series production. The new system can independently brake, accelerate and steer. Unlike systems that only work above a certain speed, Active Drive Assist / Detroit Assurance 5.0 make partially automated driving possible in all speed ranges for the driver for the first time in a series production truck. Active lateral control and the connection of longitudinal or lateral control in all speed ranges are new thanks to the fusion of radar and camera information.
Daimler Trucks reassessing the benefits of platooning
Moving forward with its innovation roadmap, Daimler Trucks is reassessing its view on platooning. Daimler Trucks defines platooning as the electronic coupling of two or more trucks with significantly reduced distance between them to, in theory, improve aerodynamics and therefore save fuel. Daimler Trucks has tested platooning for several years, especially in the U.S., where benefits would be expected to be the most substantial. Results show that fuel savings, even in perfect platooning conditions, are less than expected and that those savings are further diminished when the platoon gets disconnected and the trucks must accelerate to reconnect. At least for U.S. long-distance applications, analysis currently shows no business case for customers driving platoons with new, highly aerodynamic trucks. Daimler Trucks will, of course, remain committed to all partner projects that are still ongoing.
Level 4 automated driving improves safety, efficiency and competitiveness
Highly automated trucks (level 4) offer enormous advantages in many areas. In today’s society, there is a growing desire for safer roads and more sustainable transport solutions – and level 4 trucks can considerably contribute to that. They enhance safety in traffic thanks to a redundancy of systems and a multitude of sensors and systems that never get tired or lose attention – because today, a great majority of accidents are still due to human error. Level 4 highly automated trucks also improve efficiency and productivity, among other things, through higher utilization of the vehicles – practically around the clock. They also make it possible to travel during light traffic times, for example at night, and thus avoid traffic jams by intelligent route management. This has positive effects for truck customers and for the entire economy: the competitiveness of an economy is strongly correlated with the efficiency of logistics. This aspect becomes more and more relevant as global road freight volume is expected to more than double between 2015 and 2050.