The US post office wants to use self-propelled trucks from TuSimple.
While the Post in this country explained that although much is technically feasible, but too expensive, has the US Post, Autonomous trucks use.
Specifically, they rely on the service of the Chinese startup TuSimplein which too Nvidia is invested and wants rumors Amazon buy the company. Since today, letters and parcels between TuSimple trucks are being used Phoenix and Dallas transported.
The test of the post is only an innovative approach of many, so the US post office (USPS) in a press release over the employment. The aim is to improve service, reduce emissions and cut costs. The pilot project will initially last for two weeks. Then you want to decide on a continuation of cooperation.
Due to the lack of travelers, Swiss Post is increasing spending on external service providers. In total, the US Postal Service spends US $ 4 billion. The reduction of costs through the use of autonomous vehicles is not only due to the absence of moving but also by the fact that the vehicles know no closing time and can drive around the clock.
For safety, there is also a supervisor and an engineer on board the trucks. One person monitors the traffic and the other the function of the autonomous driving system. More and more industry players rely on two people to monitor, which is also the deadly About Accident owed in March of last year. The then employed driver had the attention her cellphone devoted and thereby drove over a passer-by.
Meanwhile, TuSimple wants to expand its service and plans in future to operate the vehicles between the respective depots. If you can do without the controls, the efficiency of the vehicles will become clear. For this purpose, we are working on improving the technology. A drive from one coast to another currently lasts five days, but TuSimple plans to complete it soon in two days.
Since one fears that thoughtless travelers in other vehicles would challenge the trucks, one wants to give no information about the trucks themselves. Therefore one waives also large ones marks, Especially Waymo, but others too, to have in this regard already experiences made.
source (English)
About David Fluhr
I’ve been writing about the topic of Autonomous & Connected Driving since 2011 and also talk about it on other sites like the Smart Mobility Hub. I studied social sciences at the HU Berlin and since 2012 I am a freelance journalist. Contact: mail@autonomes-fahren.de