TuSimple Holdings Inc. has completed what it claims to be the first successful autonomous truck run without a human in the vehicle on public roads in China.
The run was conducted on designated public roads approved by the Shanghai government and included deep-water Port Logistics Park and Donghai Bridge. The run was about 62 kilometers in both urban and highway environments in the port area. The run featured traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, lane changes, emergency lane vehicles, partial lane closures, fog and crosswinds.
The autonomous truck was operated without remote human control of the vehicle and without traffic invention. To ensure public safety, TuSimple said it worked with the government and law enforcement to use a safety vehicle running alongside the truck during the autonomous run.
The TuSimple truck uses an SAE Level 4 autonomous driving system with a redundant safety system for driverless operation on open roads, the company said.
"Being the first to conduct a Driver Out run in China is a significant milestone," said Cheng Lu, president and CEO of TuSimple. "Following on from our successful Driver Out run in the United States in 2021, this accomplishment marks another pivotal breakthrough for TuSimple and further underscores our leadership in the autonomous driving industry."
