Ohio will be the next US state to trial Otto’s autonomous trucks with officials announcing new investments to support innovation in transport.
A 35-mile (56km) stretch of the Route 33 between Dublin and East Liberty will see self-driving trucks tested in real-world conditions in traffic from this week.
“The section of Route 33 — a four-lane, divided road — is an important piece of autonomous vehicle research in the state and will become a corridor where new technologies can be safely tested in real-life traffic,” Ohio state officials said.
According to Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning, the highway will play a vital road for research.
“Certainly we think it’s going to be one of the foremost automotive research corridors in the world,” Bruning said.
The self-driving truck is also expected to travel next week on part of the Ohio Turnpike, a 241-mile (387km) toll road that connects the East Coast and Chicago.
The Ohio tests follow a successful 120-mile self-driving beer delivery truck travelled 120 miles (193km) through Colorado without intervention.
Ohio has a significant automotive industry and seasonal weather changes, making it the ideal testing ground according to state officials.
