Keep pulling the thread on Chris Urmson.
Aurora uses a proprietary long-range LIDAR technology that it considers essential for safely operating semi-trucks at highway speeds.
Chris Urmson believes Tesla's camera-only approach to autonomous driving will not be able to transition from a driver-assist system to a fully autonomous, driver-replacement system.
Starting in 2027, Aurora's business model will involve customers purchasing an "Aurora-ready" truck from an OEM like PACCAR or Volvo and paying Aurora a per-mile subscription fee for its autonomous driving service.
The United States will need one million new truck drivers over the next decade to meet demand from industry growth and driver attrition.
In 2018, Aurora acquired Blackmore, a Montana-based company, to obtain its frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LIDAR technology, which enables long-range sensing for high-speed trucking.
Several major corporations have shut down their autonomous vehicle projects, including Apple (Project Titan), Ford and Volkswagen (Argo AI), and General Motors (Cruise).
Aurora went public via a SPAC merger in 2021, a decision Chris Urmson believes was critical for survival as the company would have been unable to raise capital in the 2022 private markets.
Aurora is targeting April 2025 to begin commercial operations without a human safety operator on board its trucks.
Aurora's customer base includes major freight carriers such as FedEx, Werner, Hirschbach, and Schneider.
The U.S. trucking industry experiences a driver turnover rate of 90% year-on-year.
Chris Urmson was recruited by Google in 2009 to co-found the secret self-driving car project that later became Waymo.
Chris Urmson believes Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco has successfully achieved full self-driving capability.