Budweiser and Otto just achieved a major feat, completing the world’s first shipment by autonomous truck.
Otto announced this accomplishment today by first stating, “We’re not ones to sit around idly. We are driven by an urgency to make our transportation network safer — and more efficient — for drivers and consumers alike.”
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With complete support from the State of Colorado, Otto shipped 51, 744 cans of Budweiser from Fort Collins, through Denver, ending up in Colorado Springs.
Although there was a professional driver in the sleeper berth at the back of the vehicle, monitoring how the vehicle ran, Otto’s system controlled the acceleration, braking, and steering of the truck to transport the beer exit-to-exit without any human intervention ever taking place during the 120-mile journey. By using cameras, radar, and lidar sensors attached to the vehicle, the truck was able to “see” the road.
Otto calls this the next step
The truck maker said that “this shipment is the next step towards our vision for a safe and productive future across our highways. 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.”
Furthermore, Otto believes that this method of self driving shipments will be quite safe and cost effective, with the chances of collision or aggressive driving highly unlikely, and the use of fuel being much more precise.
Having a similar vision, Budweiser was the perfect match for this historic achievement. Its trucks are well known in America, and its popular brand has made a real change for the better in safe driving and reducing carbon emissions.
Otto ended with, “Our partnership with Anheuser-Busch is just beginning, and our companies are excited to transform commercial transportation together.”
