Waymo is taking its self-driving tech to an entirely new class of vehicles. The autonomous car company, which famously spun off as an independent entity after years of development as the Google X self-driving car project, was recently spotted running tests on something other than its instantly recognizable fleet of Waymo-branded Chrysler Pacifica minivans: a truck.
Waymo is currently testing just one truck, reportedly a Class 8 Peterbilt, outfitted with the company’s self-produced autonomous platform.
A company spokesperson confirmed that the company is currently conducting tests on a private track at its facility in California, and that the truck has also made it out to public streets — with a human operator behind the wheel controlling it manually at all times — to collect the road data essential for the autonomous platform’s development.
The Waymo rep also confirmed to us that the road testing efforts will be expanded to Arizona later this year.
Trucking and Autonomy
The move to bigger vehicles isn’t a shocker for Waymo — the company has made it clear that it’s focused on more than just consumer transportation and has its sights on the future of mobility on the whole, through statements made by CEO John Krafcik and aggressive moves outside the direct consumer market, like its deal with Lyft.
Self-driving trucks could transform an entire industry. Autonomous vehicles could increase productivity and efficiency along freight routes, making the job easier for drivers — and they could fill the gap to combat the projected driver shortage facing the industry in the coming years. By using its autonomous platform on trucks, Waymo could play a big part in transforming American highways.
But it’s far from the first player to enter the self-driving truck space. There are projects currently in the works from established companies like PACCAR, the manufacturer behind the Peterbilt brand, which is working with Nvidia, and smaller independent startups like Embark, which is testing its platform on Nevada highways. Perhaps the most notable project is the Uber-owned Otto, which successfully delivered an autonomous freight of beer last year.
To read the full story, visit http://mashable.com/2017/06/02/waymo-self-driving-truck-testing/#zFOqG4JSBkq3.