PACCAR and Aurora partner up on autonomous trucks

PACCAR has signed a global strategic agreement with autonomous vehicle startup Aurora to develop, test and commercialise autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks.

Both companies will work closely on component sourcing and technology to the integration of the Peterbilt and Kenworth vehicles with the Aurora Driver autonomous system.

Kenworth T680 and Peterbilt 579 trucks utilising the Aurora Driver technology are expected to be deployed in North America in the next several years, PACCAR says.

The partnership also includes vehicle validation at the PACCAR Technical Center and production support in PACCAR factories.

“PACCAR looks forward to partnering with Aurora because of their industry-leading autonomous driving technology and impressive team,” PACCAR chief executive Preston Feight says. 

“This strategic partnership complements PACCAR’s best-in-class commercial vehicle quality, technology and innovation.”

Aurora co-founder and chief executive Chris Urmson says the partnership brings the team “one step closer to unlocking the autonomous freight market”.