Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 12

Narrow headlights with blue LED bands on the front sides and
the radiator grille. Within the spectacular body of the Inspiration
Truck lies innovative Highway Pilot technology.
Highway Pilot activated!
Autonomous driving —
safe and efficient
This vision could soon become a
reality — one also made possible by
our customers, who serve as our
source of inspiration. The top priorities
in long-distance transport are econ-
omy, safety and efficiency. With the
Freightliner Inspiration Truck and the
Actros with Highway Pilot, we have
demonstrated that autonomously
driving trucks can take us a major step
forward in all these areas. The innova-
tive vehicles from Daimler Trucks will
revolutionize road freight transport
in the years ahead.
Daimler took the first step toward a self-driving truck
in 2014, when Mercedes-Benz presented the Future
Truck 2025 on a closed-off highway section near the city
of Magdeburg. The vehicle then successfully and easily
completed the world’s first autonomous truck journey.
Revolutionary technology on public highways
We achieved the next milestone in May 2015, when
the US state of Nevada granted Daimler Trucks a license
to operate self-driving heavy-duty trucks on public
highways, making Daimler Trucks the world’s first vehicle
manufacturer to receive such permission. The licenses
were issued for two Freightliner Inspiration Trucks, which
are now demonstrating in normal operations how their
Highway Pilot technology benefits society, the environ-
ment and the economy.
The Inspiration Truck is based on the Freightliner Cascadia
Evolution production model in the United States; the only
difference is the inclusion of the Highway Pilot, which
operates with radar sensors, a stereo camera and assis-
tance systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Active
Brake Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist. The Highway
Pilot can thus take over operation of the 505 horsepower
truck and control its speed, braking and steering.
Autonomous trucks offer added value in terms
of efficiency, safety and economy
Drivers can relax when the Inspiration Truck drives
autonomously — and this is very helpful on long trips
along routes that are monotonous, which is generally
what drivers have to deal with today. With regard to
the benefits of autonomous driving, optimal gear shifting
and braking reduce both fuel consumption and CO2
emissions, and also increase safety.
The dawn of a new age of mobility: Solutions from
today for the transportation needs of tomorrow
The intelligent Highway Pilot system is now being
tested on German roads as well. Daimler sent a clear
signal in October 2015 with the maiden journey of the
company’s first autonomous series-production truck —
a Mercedes-Benz Actros — on the A8 autobahn in
Germany. This type of testing in real traffic conditions
marks another important step on the path to a market-
ready product — and to safe and sustainable road freight
transport in the future.