Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
On January 7th, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada Daimler AG announced an investment of over $570 million towards the company’s goal of continuing to lead innovation around creating the next generation of SAE Level 4 highly automated trucks. The company plans to add over 200 jobs to their global operations to ensure their continued success in the the self-driving category.
Daimler AG Board of Management Member Martin Daum said:
“As a leader of our industry, we’ve been pioneering automated trucking. In 2015, our Freightliner Inspiration Truck got the first road license ever for an automated commercial vehicle. Now we take automated trucking to the next level: we’re ready to launch the first partially automated new Freightliner Cascadia in 2019 – and next, we tackle highly automated trucks. Highly automated trucks will improve safety, boost the performance of logistics and offer a great value proposition to our customers – and thus contribute considerably to a sustainable future of transportation.”
Highly automated driving or level SAE 4 vehicles do not require human interaction to function. Designed to travel between clearly defined hubs, highly automated trucks would revolutionize the global trucking industry to boost safety, efficiency and overall cost reductions.
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The new 2019 Daimler Freightliner Cascadia offers partial automated driving innovations which makes it the most advanced automated series production truck on North American roads. The world received its first glances at the 2019 Freightliner Cascadia at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Daimler Trucks has been at the forefront of commercial automated trucking innovations since 2014 when it presented the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 – at the time the world’s first automated truck. They were one of the first companies able to display the technological opportunities and global potential for the automation of commercial transport vehicles.
The 2019 Daimler Freightliner Cascadia is a True SAE 2 Automated Vehicle
With Active Drive Assist (Mercedes-Benz Actros, FUSO Super Great) and Detroit Assurance 5.0 with Active Lane Assist (Freightliner new Cascadia), Daimler Trucks is already bringing partially automated driving features into series production.
The new system can independently brake, accelerate and steer. Unlike systems that only work above a certain speed, Active Drive Assist / Detroit Assurance 5.0 make partially automated driving possible in all speed ranges for the driver for the first time in a series production truck.
Active lateral control and the connection of longitudinal or lateral control in all speed ranges are new thanks to the fusion of radar and camera information.
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A Look at Daimler AG
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses, and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach.
Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance, financial investments, credit cards, and innovative mobility services. The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886.
As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler is a motivated and commited to shape safely and sustainably the future of mobility. The Group’s focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal and fascinate.
Daimler consequently invests in the development of efficient drive trains with the long-term goal of locally emission-free driving: from high tech combustion engines transitioning towards hybrid vehicles and finally electric drive trains powered by battery or fuel cell.
Furthermore, the company follows a consistent path towards intelligent connectivity of its vehicles, automated driving and new mobility concepts.
This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.