Capital Equipment News June 2015

FREIGHTLINER INSPIRATION TRUCK with highway pilot system

T he Freightliner Inspiration Truck with Highway Pilot system is the world’s first autonomous truck to be granted a license for road use in the State of Ne- vada. In July last year, Daimler Trucks pro- vided the world’s first demonstration of an autonomous truck in action when the Mer- cedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 drove along a cordoned-off section of the A14 autobahn near Magdeburg. The Inspiration Truck is now the next mile- stone on the road to series production of the Highway Pilot system. The development engineers of Daimler Trucks transferred the system to the US brand Freightliner and modified it for use on American highways. The result: the State of Nevada certified no less than two Freightliner Inspiration Trucks for regular operations on public roads. The famous Hoover Dam was the setting for the World Premiere of the Freightliner Inspiration Truck. This projection – at 1.17 million lumens – earned Freightliner the Guiness World Record title of highest light output projection. With the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, Daimler Trucks has once more succeed- ed in implementing the latest innovations across all business units and brands. The Freightliner Inspiration Truck is based on the series-produced US Freightliner Cas-

ically complies with posted speed limits, regulates the distance from the vehicle ahead or uses the stop-and-go function during rush hour. The Highway Pilot system does not initiate autonomous passing manoeuvres, as these have to be executed by the driver. The same applies for leaving the highway and changing lanes. Via the user interface the Highway Pilot keeps the driver visually in- formed about its current status and accepts instructions. The driver can deactivate the Highway Pilot manually and is able to over- ride the system at any time. If the vehicle is no longer able to process crucial aspects of its environment, e.g. due to road construc- tion or bad weather, the driver is prompt- ed to retake control. In addition to a visual prompt in the instrument cluster there is also a subsequent audible notification. The Inspiration Truck represents yet an- other demonstration of the consistent way in which the Freightliner Trucks technolo- gy strategy has developed in the USA. As a global commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler is demonstrating how intelligent technologies can be rolled out across brands in the group brands within the shortest time frame. Daimler Trucks’ world- wide platform strategy in particular allows economies of scale to be made. b

cadia model, but with the addition of the Highway Pilot technology.

The latter comprises a front radar and a stereo camera plus tried and tested assis- tance systems such as the Adaptive Cruise Control, as seen in the standard Freightliner Cascadia models and the Mercedes-Benz Actros. For licensing on public roads in Nevada, the technology was further de- veloped and the excellent interaction of components extensively tested. As part of the truck’s Marathon Run, the Freightliner Inspiration Truck covered over 16 000 km on a test circuit in Papenburg, Germany. As soon as the Freightliner Inspiration Truck is safely on the highway, the driver can ac- tivate the Highway Pilot system. The driver receives a visual prompt in the instrument cluster to activate the Highway Pilot. The vehicle switches to autonomous mode and adapts to the speed of traffic and then the driver receives a confirmation message in the instrument cluster. The Highway Pilot system uses a com- plex stereo camera and radar systems with lane-keeping and collision-prevention functions. It regulates the speed, applies the brakes and steers. This combination of systems creates an autonomous vehicle that can operate safely under a wide range of driving conditions – the truck automat-

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JUNE 2015 36