Daimler tests Wi-Fi connected self-driving trucks platoon on autobahn

120 years after the invention of the truck, Daimler Trucks is bringing the truck into the internet.
Daimler Trucks tested three semitrailers with autonomous driving circulating in close « platoon” formation on an open stretch of German motorway on 21 March.
The test – which took place in live traffic – is part of a plan announced by the German automaker to invest, approximately US $ 563 million (€ 500 million) into sell-driving trucks and commercial vehicles connectivity by 2020.
The company, which also owns Mercedes-Benz, has demonstrated its autonomous vehicle technology on a section of Highway A52 near Düsseldorf, Germany.
The combination of the three Wi-Fi-connected, autonomously-driving trucks demonstrated that such formations can reduce fuel consumption by up to 7 percent, said Wolfgang Bernhard, the head of Daimler Trucks & Buses. The technology also cuts emissions.
The platoon formation of connected trucks can squish nearly half the road space required between them. They require spacing of about 50 feet instead of 150 feet required by regular tractor trailers, Daimler added. This smaller spacing produced a significant reduction in aerodynamic drag – similar to the slipstream that cyclists use in giant platoon during the Tour de France and other cycling competitions.
Daimler Trucks calls its system the Highway Pilot Connect.
« The smart, self-optimising truck has the highest priority for us. Using connected communication between the truck and other vehicles and the surroundings, we can improve traffic flow and lower fuel consumption and emissions. At the same time intelligent trucks help to lower the number of traffic accidents. This is an important step on our way towards accident-free driving, » says Sven Ennerst, Head of Truck Product Engineering & Global Procurement.
Platooning makes road traffic much safer: while a human behind the wheel has a reaction time of 1.4 seconds, Highway Pilot Connect transmits braking signals to the vehicles behind in less than 0.1 seconds. This considerably reduced reaction time can make a major contribution towards reducing rear-end collisions such as occur e.g. when encountering traffic jams on motorways.
Other companies are working on different applications for robotic trucks
Last month, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Google for a self-driving delivery truck. Google plans a typical delivery truck – similar to that UPS and FedEx use – with lockers outside. The truck would robotically drive to a home or office and would digitally signal the recipient that his package arrived. The individual would come out to the van, type a code into the keypad lockers and withdraw its package.