Volvo Autonomous Solutions, a division of Sweden-based Volvo Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with U.S.-based self-driving company Aurora to jointly jointly develop autonomous transport solutions for Class 8 vehicles.
Volvo Group is the parent company of Volvo Trucks North America, which is headquartered in Greensboro.
The agreement is a long-term partnership spanning several years with an initial focus on hub-to-hub applications for customers in North America. The partnership will center on the integration of the Aurora technology into Volvo’s on-highway trucks, leveraging the company’s 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,” said 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.”
Several U.S.-based teams, including in Greensboro, will be working with Aurora, which has developed an integrated self-driving stack, software, hardware and data services platform as a path toward efficient and safe on-highway solutions.
In October 2018, Volvo and Aurora began collaborating on an engineering planning and customization project to integrate the Aurora Driver system with FH and Vera trucks in Europe. A time frame for on-highway deployment of the North American program has yet to be determined, a Volvo spokesperson told Triad Business Journal.
“Since the first project together in 2018, Aurora has developed a deep respect for Volvo, its engineering process and its commitment to safety,” said Sterling Anderson, co-founder and chief product officer at Aurora. “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.”
