Self-driving cars have grown leaps and bounds in capability as well as in size. This is the case of German auto-giant Daimler AG recently tested a standard Mercedes-Benz Actros truck fitted with the ‘Highway Pilot’ system by letting it loose on the autobahn, the famous highway-system in Germany.

The system uses a combination of radar, stereo camera system, and adaptive cruise control to allow the truck to be semi-autonomous and drive on its own. With the system active, the truck drove along the Autobahn 8 (A8) between Denkendorf and Stuttgart, a distance of approximately nine miles.

At the wheel of the vehicle, in case something went awry, was Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Daimler AG Board of Management, alongside co-driver Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

“Today’s premiere is a further important step towards the market maturity of autonomously driving trucks – and towards the safe, sustainable road freight transport of the future,” said Dr. Bernhard speaking about the inaugural test drive. He added that he was grateful to the state of Baden-Württemberg, whose government needed to grant an exception to local laws to allow the test.

Semi-autonomous driving vehicles

While the Highway Pilot system is active, the truck is fully capable of maneuvering itself in traffic, however, a driver at the wheel can take immediate control. In this fashion, Daimler compares the system to that of an autopilot in an airplane.

While the system is capable of reacting appropriately to sudden unforeseen changes to road conditions by first attempting to warn the driver that she needs to retake control. Should the driver not do this in time, the system brings the truck to a safe stop. Situations that exceed the capabilities of the Highway Pilot system and require intervention could include sudden changes in weather conditions that block the cameras or radar (such as sudden rain or snow) or deterioration of road markings to the point where the system cannot properly see safety signals.

Daimler sees self-driving trucks as an important evolution for the freight industry in particular because of all the hours that drivers log transporting materials on highways. Safety is paramount for truck drivers in that fatigue leads to a higher potential of severe accidents. In particular, the company cited a study by Daimler Trucks that driver fatigue could be reduced by as much as 25 percent by relieving drivers of monotonous tasks such as lane keeping to allow them to focus on other tasks.

The company also claims that autonomous systems could reduce CO2 emissions due to optimum shifting, acceleration and braking. International consultancy Frost & Sullivan estimates a reduction of around seven percent.

Above: Video of Daimler’s self-driving truck during a test in Nevada published by The Daily Mail.

Self-driving vehicles expanding markets and regulation

Google Inc. has been big on the scene when it comes to pushing self-driving cars into the public view and the market in general. By 2012, Google’s self-driving cars had driven over 300,000 miles and today they are already appearing on public roads in locations such as Mountain View, CA.

The era of the autonomous vehicle is still nascent, but it’s obvious that the world is watching it rise over the horizon. This means that city and state governments are doing the same, and in small venues and locations there have been exceptions made to local regulations for cars to drive on public streets. The exception mentioned above form the the state of Baden-Württemberg for the A8 test represents a perfect example of this.

In the United States only four states have passed autonomous vehicle bills that begin the formation of regulations and guidelines for the use of such on public roadways. Amid the other states, almost half have not even considered bills on the subject.

In most states self-driving cars are actually legal under existing statutes, but the makers of these technologies are calling for actual rules. Daimler joins other innovators in seeking regulatory input so that self-driving cars won’t be frozen out of markets where they are currently legal but unregulated, a common concern according to Wired.

Add in that Tesla Motors, Inc. just announced an intent to enter the self-driving car market by 2020.

Featured image credit: Daimler Group, Inc.