Las Vegas, Nevada - The Freightliner Inspiration is the first autonomous truck to be licensed for road use in Nevada.
In July 2014 Daimler Trucks provided the first demonstration of an autonomous truck in action when the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 drove along a cordoned-off section of the A14 autobahn near Magdeburg.
Now it's transferred the system to US brand Freightliner and modified it for use on American highways - and two Inspiration trucks are now legally in regular operation on public roads in the State of Nevada after one of them completed a "marathon run" of more than 16 000km on a test circuit near Papenburg in Germany.
The Inspiration is based on Freightliner's production Cascadia truck, but with a front radar and stereo camera, linked to proven Mercedes-Benz driver aids such as adaptive cruise control - which are already available on standard Cascadia and Mercedes-Benz Actros models.
AND THIS IS HOW IT WORKS
As soon as the Inspiration is safely on the open road, the driver can switch on the Highway Pilot system; the truck then switches to autonomous mode and adapts to the speed of traffic (nothing new about that; Mercedes luxury sedans have had it for years) and gives the driver confirmation message in the instrument cluster, "Highway Pilot active".
The system uses a stereo camera and radar unit centred in the front bumper to monitor the road at close and long range for lane-keeping and collision prevention.
A short-range sensor with an aperture angle of 130 degrees goes out to about 70 metres to detect vehicles that could merge into the lane in front of the truck, while the long-range sensor goes out to 250 metres at an aperture of 18 degrees to detect vehicles in the same lane in good time to slow down or even stop if necessary, using proven adaptive cruise control and brake assist technology.
The stereo camera, mounted above the dashboard on the inside of the windshield, has a range of about 100 metres and aperture angles of 45 degrees horizontally and 27 degrees vertically; it recognises road markings, and uses the power-steering system keep the truck in its lane.
The system will maintain the truck's speed, steer and brake if necessary for slower traffic ahead. It complies automatically with posted speed limits (which is more than can be said of most human drivers) maintains a safe following distance (ditto!) and uses the idle-stop function to minimise fuel wastage in rush-hour traffic.
What it won't do is initiate autonomous overtaking moves, change lanes or leave the highway - those have to be done by the driver. The system constantly keeps the driver informed of its current status and accepts instructions - the driver can deactivate it manually, and can override it at any time.
If the system can no longer see what it's doing, for instance due to road-works or bad weather, it'll prompt the driver to take control, first by a visual signal in the instrument cluster and then by an audible alarm.
The Inspiration has special bodywork with faired-in bonnet, doors and main wheels, and special lighting on the number plate, indicators and grille that shine white and yellow in standard mode - then change to bright blue as soon as the Highway Pilot takes over.
AUTONOMOUS, NOT DRIVERLESS
Daimler doesn't see a future of unmanned trucks running up and down the highways of America; neither lawmakers nor the Teamsters Union would stand for it.
Instead it sees truckers, particularly owner-operators, catching up on their paperwork, arranging loads and deliveries, and keeping an eye on traffic reports while the Highway Pilot does the long boring stretches.
This, says Daimler, will have the double benefit of creating opportunities for experienced truckers to become transport managers, while taking the monotony out of the job, making it a more attractive career and helping to alleviate the shortage of truckers in the United States.
It's also been shown that the Inspiration uses about five percent less fuel when the Highway Pilot is driving than even skilled truckers over the same route, mostly because it anticipates what's ahead - and how far ahead it is - more accurately - and accelerates more evenly, resulting in amoother, more fuel-efficient journey, while the driver stays fresher and more focussed for when his input is needed.