Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025: The truck that will drive itself

Trucks — not cars — will be the pioneers of driverless technology in the very near future, says Mercedes-Benz. Source: Supplied

FORGET driverless cars, get ready for trucks that can drive themselves. 

Mercedes-Benz believes the technology that enables vehicles to drive themselves will be pioneered by trucks rather than cars, and they could be on the road within 10 years.

“Trucks mostly use freeways, which is where this technology is already well developed and is most reliable, so it makes sense they can lead the way,” said Mercedes-Benz technology expert Ralf Lamberti during a demonstration of automated vehicle technology in Silicon Valley today.

“Trucks are operated by big fleets, they have trained drivers, and there can be a massive fuel economy benefits which can save them thousands of dollars each year,” he said.

The truck of the future

The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 released earlier this year has radar and camera systems that detect lane markings, other vehicles and red and green traffic lights.

When the system is operating, the driver does not need to touch the steering wheel, the brakes or the accelerator pedal.

The technology also uses GPS maps to determine the speed limit and to detect when a truck is approaching a hill — and then chooses the best gear for fuel-efficiency.

But the automated truck will never put drivers out of business because by law there must always be a driver behind the wheel.

“It’s a bit like autopilot on a plane; the plane can fly itself but of course the pilot must be there to handle any situation. So it will be the same with cars and trucks,” said Mr Lamberti.

Many luxury cars today already have radar cruise control systems that keep a distance from the vehicle ahead and brake automatically when the car in front comes to a stop.

When the technology is applied to trucks, however, Mercedes-Benz believes it will primarily benefit long haul drivers who use major highways between Australia’s capital cities, by making them less fatigued and using less fuel.

Less fatigue and less fuel ... Long-haul drivers will benefit from the technology initially. Source: Supplied

Although it’s still 10 years away authorities have already ruled out allowing anyone to use the technology to have a nap or drink and drive.

Police in Australia say drivers must remain below the legal alcohol limit and attentive to the road conditions at all times, even if a vehicle is equipped with driver aids.

Automated driving has created a dilemma for authorities worldwide. At present driverless cars are only allowed to be used by specialist engineers who work for car companies and technology developers.

The North American states of California and Nevada have allowed testing of driverless cars since 2012, although there must be a specially-trained driver behind the wheel at all times.

To date, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Google are the only companies to be actively testing the technology on open roads but Japanese companies Toyota and Honda are also developing similar systems on their test tracks.

Last year Volvo unveiled an intelligent truck that can automatically follow the truck ahead in a convoy but it did not have the ability to negotiate tight turns or recognise red and green lights.