Uber will be shutting down its self-driving trucks division, nearly two years after the programme was spun following its multi-million acquisition of Otto. TechCrunch reports that Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) will stop development of self-driving trucks and instead focus on self-driving cars.
In an e-mail statement, head of Uber Advanced Technologies Group, Eric Meyhofer said “we recently took the important step of returning to public roads in Pittsburgh, and as we look to continue that momentum, we believe having our entire team’s energy and expertise focused on this effort is the best path forward.”
Uber Freight, a separate business unit that connects approved truck drivers with shipping companies, is unaffected by the move. Launched in May 2017, the app (only available in the U.S) allows truck drivers to find available loads near them, with info such as destination, distance required and payment upfront. If the drivers like what they see, they can tap to book.
The email also read: “Rather than having two groups working side by side, focused on different vehicle platforms, I want us instead collaborating as one team. I know we’re all super proud of what the Trucks team has accomplished, and we continue to see the incredible promise of self-driving technology applied to moving freight across the country.
“But we believe delivering on self-driving for passenger applications first, and then bringing it to freight applications down the line, is the best path forward. For now, we need the focus of one team, with one clear objective.”
The company’s self-driving truck division is based in San Francisco, whereas the self-driving cars unit is located in Pittsburgh. Uber says employees in the former will work on ongoing development of self-driving technology, but if there’s no comparable role, they will be offered to relocate to Pittsburgh or be given a severance package.
Apparently, it’s not the end of the line for Uber’s self-driving trucks. Uber ATG plans to maintain its relationship with truck manufacturers, and may return to self-driving trucks, but only after a proper foundation for its self-driving technology has been laid. Some key technologies that will continue to be developed include light detection and ranging radar (LiDAR), which measures distance using laser light to generate highly accurate 3D maps of the car’s surroundings.
Uber’s decision to shut down its self-driving trucks operation comes just a week after resuming its autonomous vehicles programme in Pittsburgh. The programme was briefly suspended following a fatal incident, where a self-driving test vehicle (a Volvo XC90) fatally struck pedestrian Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona.
For now, the self-driving XC90s will only be driven manually by humans and under a new set of safety standards that includes real-time monitoring of its test drivers. This will be Uber’s first step towards its ultimate goal, that is to relaunch its autonomous vehicle testing program in Pittsburgh.
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Buy over it just to shut it down. How Murican. Shud have followed Geely instead, their acquisitions make them great again.