Autonomous trucking has hit the beer industry with the world's first delivery taking place in the US
Autonomous trucking company Otto and beer producer Anheuser-Busch have teamed up in the US to complete, what they say is, the world’s first shipment by a self-driving truck.
Detailed in a video below, the Uber subsidiary accomplished the feat on October 20 with 51,744 cans of beer from Budweiser in the trailer.
Travelling from Fort Collins, Colorado – the home of Budweiser in the US – along the I-25 interstate highway through Denver to Colorado Springs, the truck covered 120 miles (193km) all without the truck driver in the driver’s seat.
In a company blog, Otto says “this shipment is the next step towards our vision for a safe and productive future across our highways.”
“With an Otto-equipped vehicle, truck drivers will have the opportunity to rest during long stretches of highway while the truck continues to drive and make money for them,” the company says.
“When you’ll see a truck driving down the road with nobody in the front seat, you’ll know that it’s highly unlikely to get into a collision, drive aggressively, or waste a single drop of fuel.”
Otto, which was started by engineers from Google, Apple, and Tesla in San Francisco, has been testing its autonomous trucking technology on current model trucks, looking to retrospectively equip vehicles with self-driving abilities.
Its success caught the eye of Uber, which bought it in August.
Volvo has also signed a working partnership with the company.
Upon outfitting its technology on a Volvo truck, the technology company says it chose Budweiser for its on-highway milestone because “Its trucks are synonymous with American transportation, and its iconic brand has made a real impact in safe driving and reducing carbon emissions.”
The milestone was marked with a special beer label.