Why driverless trucks could beat cars to full autonomy

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia are set to deploy next-level autonomous trucks on Korea’s logistics routes as the companies test whether driverless technology can handle real-world freight operations.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis and autonomous driving software companies Mars Auto and RideFlux to test Level 4 autonomous trucks for logistics operations, the automakers said.

Level 4 autonomy allows a vehicle to drive and respond to unexpected situations without human intervention within designated operating areas.

Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor and Kia will develop two Xcient-based test trucks and aim to deploy them next year on a 100-kilometer (62-mile) route combining highways and city streets and a 400-kilometer long-distance route made up mainly of highways. Xcient is a heavy-duty commercial truck manufactured by Hyundai Motor.

“We will secure the vehicle-control technology and operational data needed in real logistics environments and gradually build the technological foundation for the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous heavy-duty trucks,” Park Sang-hyeon, vice president in charge of commercial LCM at Hyundai Motor and Kia, said.

The two automakers also signed an agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Oct. 1 to commercialize Level 4 autonomous city buses and build an industry ecosystem for the technology.

Level 3 is classified as the first stage of autonomous driving according to SAE International’s Levels of Driving Automation. At that level, the system handles driving but can hand control back to the driver when necessary. Level 2 is considered partial automation.

Even Tesla, widely regarded as a leader in autonomous driving for passenger vehicles, has used terms such as “Level 2.999” to describe its Full Self-Driving system. In reality, its system remains closer to Level 2.

Passenger-car makers are still focused on refining their Level 2 technology under labels such as “Level 2+” and “Level 2.9999.” Commercial vehicles, however, could reach Level 4 much sooner.

Why? The routes are simpler for commercial vehicles.

The operating environments for commercial vehicles, such as trucks and buses, are simpler than those of passenger cars because they generally travel along designated routes.

The logistics industry also has strong incentives to adopt the technology because autonomous trucks could cut labor costs and improve their efficiency.

Driverless freight trucks are already expanding rapidly globally.

U.S.-based self-driving vehicle technology company Aurora Innovation has operated 30 driverless freight trucks since last year and plans to increase the fleet to about 200 by the end of this year. Its autonomous trucks have logged more than 500,000 miles without a driver.

U.S. food and beverage company PepsiCo has also partnered with autonomous trucking company Gatik and has used around 40 driverless trucks to transport products in Arizona, Texas and Arkansas since last year.

PepsiCo said many of its delivery drivers also work as sales representatives, so autonomous trucks free them to spend more time on promotional activities. The beverage company said the trucks have achieved a 99 percent on-time arrival rate without any accidents so far — making them more reliable than human drivers.

Still, autonomous trucks must prove they can operate safely under unpredictable conditions such as bad weather and road construction.

“Commercial vehicles have an advantage for autonomous driving because they operate on fixed routes, but the technology will have to advance further to handle a wider range of road conditions,” an auto industry source said.

BY KO SUK-HYUN [[email protected]]