Retail
without any expectation of the system
that a user will respond to a request to
intervene. In commercial trucking, level
4 is the natural next step after level 2,
increasing efficiency and productivity
for customers, cutting costs per mile
significantly. In doing so, Daimler Trucks
is skipping the intermediate step of
conditionally automated driving (level 3).
Level 3 automated driving does not offer
truck customers a substantial advantage
compared to the current situation as
there are no corresponding benefits to
compensate for the technology costs.
The new Freightliner Cascadia offers
partially automated driving features
(level 2), making it the first-ever partially
automated series production truck on
North American roads. It also made
its world premiere during today’s
presentation of Daimler Trucks at CES.
Daimler Trucks has been a pioneer
of automated truck development for
years. In 2014, the world’s leading truck
manufacturer presented the Mercedes-
Benz Future Truck 2025, the world’s
first automated truck, and was the
first to demonstrate the technological
opportunities and great potential that
automated trucks have for the economy
and society.
Martin Daum, Member of the Board
of Management of Daimler AG with
responsibility for Daimler Trucks & Buses:
“As a leader of our industry, we’ve been
pioneering automated trucking. In 2015,
our Freightliner Inspiration Truck got the
first road license ever for an automated
commercial vehicle. Now we take
automated trucking to the next level:
we’re ready to launch the first partially
automated new Freightliner Cascadia
in 2019 – and next, we tackle highly
automated trucks. Highly automated trucks
will improve safety, boost the performance
of logistics and offer a great value
proposition to our customers – and thus
contribute considerably to a sustainable
future of transportation.”
Level 2 automated driving now a reality
in the new Freightliner Cascadia
With Active Drive Assist (Mercedes-
Benz Actros, FUSO Super Great) and
Detroit Assurance 5.0 with Active Lane
Assist (Freightliner new Cascadia),
Daimler Trucks is already bringing
partially automated driving features into
series production. The new system can
independently brake, accelerate and steer.
Unlike systems that only work above a
certain speed, Active Drive Assist / Detroit
Assurance 5.0 make partially automated
driving possible in all speed ranges for
the driver for the first time in a series
production truck. Active lateral control
and the connection of longitudinal or
lateral control in all speed ranges are new
thanks to the fusion of radar and camera
information.
Daimler Trucks reassessing the benefits
of platooning
Moving forward with its innovation
roadmap, Daimler Trucks is reassessing its
view on platooning. Daimler Trucks defines
platooning as the electronic coupling of two
or more trucks with significantly reduced
distance between them to, in theory,
improve aerodynamics and therefore save
fuel. Daimler Trucks has tested platooning
for several years, especially in the U.S.,
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