Companies are now more focused on autonomous long haul trucking instead of autonomous cars for cutting emissions. It’s pretty appealing since it can reduce driver fatigue by up to 35%, save two or three liters of fuel for every 100 kilometers, and allow one driver to handle routes that previously needed two.
Also, long, straight highways with only one direction have way less stuff to deal with like people walking, bike riders, and red lights compared to city streets. Big companies like Nestle and Budweiser are all excited to check out the truck version of Inceptio Technology’s vehicle to see if it’s what they’re looking for.
The Inceptio Autonomous Driving System on long haul trucks have driven over 40 million kilometers without any accidents on China’s highways. Yeah, the truck does most of the driving, but there has to be a person there just in case.
Level 3 assisted driving from this company in Shanghai uses a combination of radar, lidar, and cameras, along with cool features like hands-on steering wheel detection, vibrating seats, and voice reminders.
The Inceptio driverless system on long haul trucks can perceive things in 3D up to 1,000 meters away for safe navigation, while regular cars can only see about 200 meters ahead. The company’s TruckGPT technology translates driving conditions on the spot into a language that a Chat-GPT-like model can understand and use to come up with responses.
Iceptio has partnered with Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle and China National Heavy Duty Truck Group as part of a development consortium and has received funding from several other companies. Inceptio sells the trucks and also charges a mileage-based subscription fee for the assisted-driving tech.
There are about 660 Inceptio trucks on the road, and the number is on track to double by the middle of next year.
Autonomous long haul trucking is becoming popular as it can save money and reduce carbon emissions. Level 4 ready autonomous trucks are the latest development and can drive themselves in specific conditions and take control of safety-critical systems. The enjoyment comes from witnessing the transformation of a vision into reality.
Reference- Electrek, Inside EVs, Electrive, Iceptio Technology Newsroom & PR, China Post