TECH - Daimler Truck Marries Electric and Autonomous Technologies | Benzinga
"We asked ourselves, ‘What would it look like if we combined the freight efficiency potential of an autonomous truck with the promise of zero emissions and decarbonization of our series production electric vehicle?'" Joanna Buttler, head of the Daimler Truck Global Autonomous Technology Group, said during a virtual news conference.
The German automaker revealed the result Wednesday: an eCascadia with a Level 4 autonomous system from its Torc Robotics subsidiary.
Daimler Truck revealed a Class 8 eCascadia electric truck daycab fitted with Torc Robotics autonomous driving system. (Photo: Daimler Truck North America)
Daimler plans to initially use the demo unit to learn how motion control in an electric truck differs from a diesel-powered engine with an automated manual transmission and whether autonomy impacts the driving range of an electric truck.
A competitor for Gatik?
Daimler hinted at additional applications, such as its Class 6 eM2 electric truck. That could create competition with Gatik, the lone player in middle-mile autonomy.
"We're looking into use cases that could be good for this technology" Buttler ...