Transurban, a toll-road operator operating in Canada, the United States, and Australia, has revealed a new collaboration with Plus, an autonomous driving software company headquartered in Silicon Valley. The aim of this partnership is to propel Transurban's automated freight program forward by tapping into the abundant resources and talent in Victoria, which is recognized as the hub of Australian innovation.
This collaboration intends to leverage the achievements of Transurban's initial self-driving truck trial on CityLink and the Monash Freeway in Australia the previous year. The primary objective is to investigate the potential of integrating Plus's level 4 autonomous driving technology with intelligent road infrastructure. This fusion aims to enhance the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the trucking industry in Australia.
Commencing in 2017, Transurban's extensive program for testing connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) has collaborated closely with governmental bodies and industries. This collaboration has resulted in the successful implementation of 11 trials involving both fully and partially automated vehicles on highways spanning Australia and North America. These trials were conducted to assess the responses of these vehicles to various road infrastructure scenarios.
A noteworthy accomplishment in Transurban's journey was the successful trial in 2022, marking the first instance in Australia where a highly automated self-driving truck was tested under real traffic conditions on public highways.
The partnership forged between Transurban and Plus will capitalize on Plus's cutting-edge autonomous driving software and its extensive experience in commercial deployments worldwide. Notably, this includes collaboration with IVECO, a prominent global commercial vehicle brand within the Iveco Group, aimed at jointly developing self-driving trucks tailored for the European market. Plus's technology has already enabled highly automated trucks to carry out freight operations for renowned fleets in the United States, while also undergoing testing on public roads in Germany through a collaboration with IVECO.
According to Plus, their driving software uses cutting-edge generative AI, machine learning, computer vision, and other advanced algorithms, empowering outfitted vehicles with an exceptional level of awareness and control that goes beyond human capabilities. This software seamlessly integrates with state-of-the-art lidar, radar, and camera sensors, enabling it to not only detect and accurately track objects but also forecast their movements and execute safe vehicle maneuvers. This means that like us fleshy humans, these level 4 autonomous vehicles can make snap decisions based on prevailing road conditions.
What does this mean for trucking here in the Philippines? If Plus’ massive leap into level 4 autonomous driving is anything to go by it could bode well for countries with established road networks. As for us here in the Philippines, we might have to wait for some time before these types of technology can operate on the road, still, we can always hope that these will reach our shores soon.
