[241210] #Nuro #Isuzu Motors #Xiaomi

1. Nuro goes driverless in three cities, advances capabilities of the Nuro Driver

• Nuro expanded its Level 4 (L4) autonomous vehicle deployment with zero-occupant vehicles, covering more cities in California (Mountain View, Palo Alto) and Texas (Houston).
• Deployment areas increased by 83% in California and 70% in Texas, showcasing advancements in handling multi-lane roads, complex scenarios, and night operations.
• Nuro’s system has logged over one million autonomous miles with zero at-fault incidents, demonstrating a focus on safety and reliability.
• The AI-powered Nuro Driver™ system enables cost-effective, large-scale deployments, supporting both passenger and goods transportation.
• Nuro announced a new licensing model for its Nuro Driver platform, attracting interest from automotive OEMs and mobility companies for various autonomous applications.
• CEO Jiajun Zhu emphasized Nuro’s readiness to accelerate autonomy adoption with a scalable and sophisticated platform for diverse use cases.

  

2. Japanese truck-makers launch L4 autonomous trials

• Japan’s major truck manufacturers, including Isuzu, Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso, and UD Trucks, have begun road tests of Level 4 autonomous heavy-duty trucks on the Shin-Tomei Expressway.
• The project, sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Tourism (MLIT), started in 2021 and aims for full implementation by fiscal 2026.
• Key objectives include addressing Japan’s truck driver shortage and enabling driverless trucking between relay points like logistics facilities, service areas, and parking zones on highways.
• Additional companies, including Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Mizuho Research & Technologies, are contributing to the project’s infrastructure, monitoring, and vehicle functionality.
• The project will run until 2025, culminating in tests that replicate real-world conditions, including lane merging, highway driving, and destination parking.
• Priority lanes for autonomous vehicles are being trialed as part of the effort to establish Connected Autonomous Vehicle corridors on Japan’s highways.

Japan’s leading truck manufacturers begin Level 4 autonomous truck trials on highways, aiming for full deployment by 2026 to address the driver shortage.

3.Xiaomi to launch end-to-end large model for autonomous driving

• Xiaomi Group plans to launch an end-to-end large model for autonomous driving by the end of next month, enabling cars to move autonomously between parking spots.
• The announcement follows Xiaomi’s debut electric vehicle, the Xiaomi SU7, which was launched earlier this year to significant acclaim.
• Xiaomi has delivered 100,000 cars in just 230 days, signaling its rapid progress and growing ambitions in the automotive industry.
• Speaking at the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO, highlighted China’s leadership in internet innovation and its robust network infrastructure as key enablers of tech advancement.
• Lei emphasized that artificial intelligence should be “people-oriented”, aiming to fulfill aspirations for better technological experiences.

4. Tesla shares surge on hopes for self-driving rules relaxation

5. Commercial Ops Debut Coming Fast for VNL Autonomous Truck

• Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) and Aurora Innovation are launching the first batch of 25 factory-built autonomous Class 8 trucks, the Volvo VNL, with operations starting soon in Texas.
• These trucks, featuring Aurora’s factory-installed autonomous technology, mark the beginning of a new transportation ecosystem designed for scalability across brands, use cases, and geographies.
• Initial operations will run between Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, with driverless commercial deployments expected by spring 2025 and expansion to new routes and increased capacity later that year.
• VAS’s approach emphasizes a dedicated autonomous platform that integrates redundancy in safety systems, including braking, steering, and power management, with a safety driver present initially.
• Volvo and Aurora have been collaborating since 2018, formalizing their partnership in 2021, and have undergone two years of testing to prepare for commercialization.
• VAS plans to scale production to hundreds and thousands of trucks, leveraging its platform for transport-as-a-service and truck-as-a-service business models.
• Competitors like Daimler Truck’s Torc Robotics and Traton’s partnership with Plus are also advancing self-driving truck initiatives, signaling growing competition in the autonomous trucking sector.