Imagine a future where heavy duty trucks safely drive themselves from point A to point B with perfect route and trip planning, freeing the driver to be more productive behind the wheel. The driver switches from the "workplace steering wheel" to a "workplace office" where he can perform other activities, such as do paperwork; read; enjoy a snack; obtain current traffic information; reserve a parking space in a truckstop, as well as a shower; look at an online menu and order a meal for an appointed time; or attend to private matters.
Future trucks will slash overall operating costs by taking the guesswork out of vehicle performance. They will anticipate their maintenance and repair, reducing vehicle downtime and wasted maintenance expenses.
World Premiere
Seems far-fetched? It isn’t. Such a truck was demonstrated by Daimler during the recent world premiere of its self-driving Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 on a new section of the A14 Autobahn near Magdeburg, Germany.
The aerodynamically optimized tractor trailer combination was put through a series of realistic driving situations – including interspersed traffic traveling at both fast and slow speeds and with fast-moving emergency vehicles. The rig, which smoothly adapted to all of the conditions, performed flawlessly and safely without any driver intervention.
Daimler (www.daimler.com) is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Its divisions include Mercedes-Benz, Daimler and Daimler Financial Services.
The futuristic tractor is based on the Mercedes-Benz 2014 Actros 1845 tractor.
Mass Networking
Central to the truck’s technical quantum leap of capabilities are onboard telematics, data processing and communication, navigation and advanced driver assistance systems, such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure, collision avoidance and mitigation and blind spot monitoring.
There is also real-time interaction (connectivity) between the truck and its complete environment, including the driver, other vehicles, infrastructure and logistics systems. This encompasses intelligent transportation systems (ITS) – a broad range of wireless and wire line communications-based information and electronics technologies; vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications – the wireless exchange of data between nearby vehicles about what they are doing (speed, location, direction of travel, braking, etc.); and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications – the wireless exchange of critical safety and operational data between vehicles and infrastructure.
The rich data generated from all of this is minded with Big Data management and predicative analysis to enable faster, more cost-effective preventive responses to problems and issues.
Increased Traffic Safety
Autonomous driving will make traffic safer for all road users. Autonomous vehicles make fewer mistakes than people. Their attention never lapses, and they do not react emotionally, but rather predictably. Safety regulations, such as speed limits or safety gaps between vehicles, will always be strictly adhered to by autonomous vehicles.
Moreover, autonomous vehicles will increase transportation efficiency and reduce fuel consumption thanks to the more homogeneous traffic flow.
Another benefit of autonomous vehicles is that they relieve a lot of the demands and stresses that truck drivers face in their working day, like the need for constant attention, monotony on long journeys, unclear situations in dense traffic, etc. That, too, will help improve traffic safety.
Boss in the Cab
When the driver of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 switches into autonomous mode and wants to relax or do other things, he presses a button on the driver’s seat armrest. The seat then moves backwards and pivots to the right by 45 degrees for a comfortable seating position. The driver is able to stretch his legs in comfort, as if sitting in an armchair at home.
However, the driver remains the boss in the cab. He stays within easy reach of the steering wheel and the controls, and he can easily override the technology to resume manual control by steering, braking or accelerating.
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair
Along with having fewer accidents, autonomous vehicles drive in a consistently optimum, less abusive manner, so there is less wear and tear on parts and components. That means fewer repair jobs per vehicle. However, routine vehicle maintenance will still be required.
The evolving technology will continue to increase vehicle uptime with proactive maintenance, repair scheduling and parts ordering, as well as providing easy-to-read repair instructions and techniques even before a truck arrives for service.
Meanwhile, vehicles, parts and components are being manufactured to last longer.
All of this has consequences for vehicle technicians and shops. I welcome your thoughts on what you think lies ahead. Contact me at [email protected].
