Uber Self-Driving Semi-Truck Makes Epic Beer Run Delivering 50,000 Cans Of Budweiser
We have all been there. You are at a lit party and your buddy asks you to go for a beer run. What do you choose? A 6-pack of a craft beer? A 24-pack of something cheap? How about 50,000 cans of Budweiser? Uber just completed the first commercial delivery made by a self-driving truck and it delivered 2,000 cases of one of America’s favorite beers.
This past Tuesday, Otto, Uber’s self-driving vehicle operation drove roughly 125 miles from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The truck even passed through downtown Denver. It seems fitting that this delivery was made in one of the states with the most breweries per capita.
Otto used cameras, radar, and lidar systems in order to “see” the road and control the movement of the vehicle. A professional driver was in the sleeper berth in the back of the truck, however, he never had to take control of the vehicle. Otto hopes that self-driving trucks will help truck drivers to rest on long stretches of road while still continuing to drive and make money. They also believe that these trucks will encourage safe-driving and reduce carbon emissions.
Uber purchased Otto this past August for $700 million USD. Otto is a start-up from San Francisco run by former Google autonomous vehicle researchers. The company is less than a year old and its acquirement demonstrates Uber’s desire to edge its way into the $720 billion trucking industry.
The success of this project will enable Otto to test its vehicles on various road conditions in different kinds of weather. The company stated, “At Otto, we’re not ones to sit around idly. We are driven by an urgency to make our transportation network safer — and more efficient — for drivers and consumers alike.”
This past Tuesday, Otto, Uber’s self-driving vehicle operation drove roughly 125 miles from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The truck even passed through downtown Denver. It seems fitting that this delivery was made in one of the states with the most breweries per capita.
Otto used cameras, radar, and lidar systems in order to “see” the road and control the movement of the vehicle. A professional driver was in the sleeper berth in the back of the truck, however, he never had to take control of the vehicle. Otto hopes that self-driving trucks will help truck drivers to rest on long stretches of road while still continuing to drive and make money. They also believe that these trucks will encourage safe-driving and reduce carbon emissions.
Uber purchased Otto this past August for $700 million USD. Otto is a start-up from San Francisco run by former Google autonomous vehicle researchers. The company is less than a year old and its acquirement demonstrates Uber’s desire to edge its way into the $720 billion trucking industry.
The success of this project will enable Otto to test its vehicles on various road conditions in different kinds of weather. The company stated, “At Otto, we’re not ones to sit around idly. We are driven by an urgency to make our transportation network safer — and more efficient — for drivers and consumers alike.”
