A truck carrying 50,000 cans of beer through Colorado made history last week becoming the world’s first driverless delivery.
In partnership with autonomous truck company Otto, which was bought out by Uber earlier this year, the self-driving Bud truck travelled 200km from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
A driver was on board to monitor the truck’s progress, but all acceleration, braking and steering on the open road was done using Otto’s autonomous technology, which saw the Volvo prime mover was fitted with cameras, radar and Lidar sensors.
According to a statement released by Otto, the Budweiser delivery was a milestone towards safer and more efficient highways.
“This shipment is the next step towards our vision for a safe and productive future across our highways,” Otto says.
“With an Otto-equipped vehicle, truck drivers will have the opportunity to rest during long stretches of highway while the truck continues to drive and make money for them.
“When you’ll see a truck driving down the road with nobody in the front seat, you’ll know that it’s highly unlikely to get into a collision, drive aggressively, or waste a single drop of fuel.”
