Aurora Innovation begins driverless operations at Night, opens Phoenix terminal

The company states: “Aurora Innovation (AUR) announced a significant expansion of its commercial operations, including surpassing 20,000 driverless miles at the end of June, recently growing its driverless fleet to three trucks, beginning driverless commercial operations at night, and opening its Phoenix terminal. Aurora has expanded driverless operations on the Dallas-to-Houston lane to now include nighttime driving. This capability more than doubles truck utilization potential, significantly shortening delivery times on long-haul routes and creating a path to profitability for autonomous trucking. Autonomous trucks can also make roads safer. Due to low visibility and driver fatigue, a disproportionate 37% of fatal crashes involving large trucks occur at night. The Aurora Driver reliably sees and understands the world around it day and night without ever getting tired. Powered by Aurora’s proprietary, long-range FirstLight Lidar, the Aurora Driver can detect objects in the dark more than 450 meters away, identifying pedestrians, vehicles, and debris up to 11-seconds sooner than a traditional driver.”