Volvo's new self-driving truck doesn't require humans behind the wheel
What's the story
Waabi, a leading self-driving truck start-up backed by Uber and NVIDIA, has unveiled its latest autonomous truck in partnership with Volvo. It doesn't require a human safety driver. The new vehicle, named the Volvo VNL Autonomous Truck, was revealed at TechCrunch Disrupt. The announcement comes eight months after Waabi revealed its collaboration with Volvo Autonomous Solutions to create a custom-built truck on Volvo's autonomy platform using Waabi's software stack.
Market ambition
Waabi takes a dig at competitor Aurora
Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun has said her company could be the first to commercialize self-driving trucks without a human safety driver or observer. The statement was a subtle jab at competitor Aurora, which launched a commercial driverless service earlier this year but added a human observer in the truck cab weeks later. Urtasun also shared plans for US-wide coverage of their tech over the next few years.
Technological edge
A look at the 'Waabi Driver'
Waabi's self-driving system, the Waabi Driver, is an end-to-end AI model that enables autonomous driving across different geographies. This includes highways and general surface streets. The company claims this technology allows for scalable commercial operations that meet customer needs and fit into existing logistics operations. The Volvo VNL has been designed with redundancies to safely remove the human driver, making it a suitable platform for Waabi's cutting-edge tech.
Strategic alliance
Volvo's investment in Waabi
Waabi's partnership with Volvo goes beyond just tech integration. It also includes an investment from the automaker through its venture arm, Volvo Group Venture Capital. The collaboration was further strengthened when Volvo participated in Waabi's $200 million Series B funding round in 2024. This strategic alliance is expected to play a major role in Waabi's plans for commercializing self-driving trucks across the US over the next few years.