Volvo, Aurora partner for autonomous transport solutions

Volvo Autonomous Solutions has entered a strategic partnership with U.S.-based self-driving company Aurora to jointly develop on-highway autonomous trucks. The agreement signed between Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Aurora is a long-term partnership spanning several years. The initial focus is on hub-to-hub applications for customers in North America. The work toward automation is aimed at creating tangible benefits for both customers and society in terms of productivity, safety, sustainability and energy efficiency, said Volvo.

Aurora’s FirstLight lidar is used on Aurora’s test vehicles, where it helps the perception system see and track objects.

This partnership will center on the integration of the Aurora Driver into Volvo’s on-highway trucks and the development of industry-leading Transport as a Service solutions. These solutions build on Volvo’s leading products and track record within safety and Aurora’s deep expertise in the development of self-driving systems.

“Creating a viable autonomous on-highway offering requires close partnerships with both customers and tech partners to develop the needed capabilities,” said Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “This exciting partnership brings our goal of transport as a service an important step closer and will accelerate our commercial offer for hub-to-hub applications in North America. Aurora is already a leading force in autonomous systems, and its integrated self-driving stack, software, hardware and data services platform combine to offer a clear path towards efficient and safe on-highway solutions in the medium term.”

“Since the first project together in 2018, Aurora has developed a deep respect for Volvo, its engineering process, and its commitment to safety. With the groundwork now laid through the establishment of Volvo Autonomous Solutions and the creation of Aurora’s industry-leading sensor suite, we’re excited to join forces to develop self-driving solutions with Volvo’s impressive network of customers,” said Sterling Anderson, co-founder and chief product officer at Aurora.

Previously announced Volvo Group collaborations with partners such as Nvidia and others continue in parallel with the collaboration with Aurora.

An engineer at Aurora’s facility works on a hardware project.