Daimler Trucks is establishing the Autonomous Technology Group as a global organization for automated driving. Its main tasks will comprise overall strategy and implementation of the automated driving roadmap, including research and development.
Daimler Trucks plans to put highly automated trucks onto the roads within a decade. Earlier this year it announced an investment of more than $570 million.
Martin Daum, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Trucks & Buses says: “We are the pioneer for automated trucks. With the formation of our global Autonomous Technology Group, we are taking the next step, underscoring the importance of highly automated driving for Daimler Trucks, the industry and society as well.”
He adds: “With the new unit, we will maximize the effectiveness of our automated driving efforts and the impact of our investments in this key strategic technology. We will therefore be in the perfect position to put highly automated driving onto the roads, making transportation safer, saving lives and helping trucking companies boost their productivity.”
Dr. Peter Vaughan Schmidt, who is currently Head of Strategy Daimler Trucks, will lead this new group. Schmidt says: “In the first stage, we will focus on use cases of highly automated driving in defined areas and between defined hubs in the U.S.A. In doing so, we will work closely together with customers whose business matches this automated driving application. We will not only develop the respective technology but also set up the required operations infrastructure and network.”
Torc Robotics will be part of the newly established Autonomous Technology Group, dependent on U.S approval of the acquisition recently announced by Daimler Trucks.
