TRUCKS AT CES

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January 10, 2018 Vol. 15 No. 1

A minor miracle is underway as I write this, namely the presence of trucks at the massive CES consumer electronics show this week in Las Vegas. No longer just for geeks and gamers, CES has simply become a showcase for new and emerging technologies, and the truck-making world is full of such excitement these days. Car-makers have been there in recent years, but this is a first for commercial vehicles. Attendance is in the range of 170,000-plus, which isn’t bad exposure for our industry at large.

Paccar is leading the charge, using CES to show off some of its cutting-edge technology. Peterbilt is showing its own Level 4 autonomous Model 579 tractor, which was developed in partnership with Waymo.

Sister company Kenworth is also there to show off its hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered T680 daycab tractor, which uses compressed hydrogen gas and air to produce electricity that powers a dual-rotor electric motor to move the truck while also recharging the lithium-ion batteries. Steering is electric. The fuel cell, of course, emits only water vapor at the tailpipe.

The truck is part of the Zero Emission Cargo Transport demonstration project managed by the Southern California South Coast Air Quality Management District. It’s aimed at short-haul and port operations. The truck’s electric motor  output is 565 hp and can pull class 8 loads. Its initial range is 240 km or 150 miles.

“Kenworth’s hydrogen fuel-cell T680 is a reality,” said Stephan Olsen, Kenworth director of product planning. “The T680 has been running trials in the Seattle area and performing very well. The next step is real-world testing with Total Transportation Services at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.”

ALSO AT CES IS TUSIMPLE, a mighty interesting startup company developing autonomous trucking technology, showing off its Level 4 autonomous truck, a Peterbilt. It’s the U.S. debut of the Chinese outfit’s latest L4 trucks, which are slated to hit the roads for testing in Arizona this year. TuSimple is also discussing its new collaboration with Nvidia. This year, the company says it will scale its efforts to commercialize self-driving trucks in North America by deploying additional Petes.

Level 4 autonomy means the truck can operate without human input or oversight but only under restricted conditions defined by factors like road type or geographic area. Meaning, in this case, highways outside urban areas.

Launched in 2015, TuSimple’s autonomous driving platform uses an array of cameras to scan the surrounding environment. With trucks, the company says, the sensors must be even more powerful due to the longer stopping times required. The platform’s camera and millimeter-​wave radar array allows for sensing distances of up to 200 meters (656 ft) from the vehicle, compared to the standard 80 meters (262 ft) using LiDAR arrays.

TuSimple’s original deep-learning detection algorithms enable the cameras to perceive the surroundings just like the human eye, the company claims. It can detect and track objects within your field of vision in real time, and make pixel-​level interpretations of the visible scene. With original high-​precision visual positioning and multi-​sensor integration technology, a truck can achieve a decimeter-​level of positioning accuracy – even in a tunnel. And that’s just under 4 inches. Amazing.

TuSimple says its self-​developed artificial intelligence decision-​making system can even guide vehicles along a safe and fuel-​efficient route based on terrain and real road conditions.

“Since 2012, deep-learning advances have allowed for massive leaps in computer vision technology. In the past five years, we believe we have developed the technology enough to allow it to see conditions just like a human’s two eyes would,” says TuSimple’s principal scientist, Naiyan Wang.

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Rolf Lockwood is editor emeritus of Today's Trucking and a regular contributor to Trucknews.com.