Build It and AVs Will Come

To get around some of the self-driving industry’s pain points, companies, officials, and educators are building targeted solutions.

1. Volvo unveiled Vera, a fully autonomous electric truck. The fancy-looking truck will haul containers from a logistics center to a port in Gothenburg, Sweden, at slow speeds on predefined routes. Veras are networked and able to drive 24/7.

• This highly specific and controllable use case lets Volvo bypass the broader issue facing competitors: creating a one-size-fits-all self-driving system.

2. Florida passed a law allowing self-driving tests without safety drivers in an effort to court more autonomous vehicle (AV) activity in the state...possibly teeing up some great “Florida Man” headlines.

• This opens up new grounds for experiments most state regulators have not OK’d.

3. TuSimple and Pima Community College launched a first-of-its-kind AV certificate program, which will teach truck drivers to train, operate, and monitor robo-big rigs.

• Designed specifically for truckers, this program could offer a model for offsetting job displacement.