After testing, Daimler decided to give up platooning and invest in the construction of autonomous trucks. For this purpose, it will create 200 jobs for specialists.
The company will allocate half a billion euros to create an autonomous truck ready for launch in the next decade. The company wants to invest in the 4th level of autonomous driving, i.e. one that does not require driver intervention. This kind of vehicle moves independently between fixed points. Thus, Daimler plans to skip level 3, in which the presence of the driver is necessary in the event that the system demanded his intervention and taking over driving.
Platooning does not pay off
The results of the tests carried out by the German manufacturer leave no illusions. Platooning, or technology of integrated convoys, in which vehicles automatically adapt to the behaviour of the first driver driven by the vehicle, simply does not pay off. Theoretically, better aerodynamics would reduce fuel consumption. However, it turned out that the savings are much lower than expected. In practice, it turned out that trucks are difficult to keep in convoy. In addition, in order to keep up with each other, they must accelerate, increasing fuel costs.
Photo: Daimler