TNO has joined forces with DAF and Einride in a collaboration aimed at advancing the deployment of Level 4 autonomous truck transportation. By bringing together expertise in vehicle technology, automated driving systems and applied research, the collaboration contributes to the next generation of safe and scalable automated freight transport.
DAF Trucks, a leading truck manufacturer based in the Netherlands, and Einride, a technology company at the forefront of autonomous and electric freight mobility, are working together to integrate automated driving capabilities into a commercial truck platform. TNO contributes its expertise in system integration, safety engineering, verification and validation.
Advancing safe and reliable autonomous transport
Level 4 automation, as defined by SAE J3016, enables a vehicle to perform the complete driving task independently within specific operating conditions. Achieving this level of autonomy requires robust safety concepts and comprehensive system validation. Additionally, this requires that the vehicle is able to detect, isolate and manage faults, degradations and insufficiencies that may arise in the system.
TNO supports industry partners in addressing these challenges through research and innovation in automated driving technologies, safety assurance methodologies and validation approaches for increasingly complex vehicle systems. This includes methodologies, functions and modules to conduct such monitoring and fail-operational operations of AI-heavy and End-2-End AI based automated driving systems.
Enabling integration and large-scale deployment
The successful deployment of autonomous transport depends on the effective integration of automated driving technology with commercial vehicle platforms while meeting stringent safety, regulatory and operational requirements.
Within this collaboration, TNO contributes knowledge and expertise to system design, development, integration, testing and validation activities, helping to ensure that automated driving solutions can be deployed safely, reliably and at scale.
TNO contributes to the definition, integration and validation of the interfaces connecting the automated driving system and the vehicle platform. The collaboration also provides valuable insights into future approaches for the integration and certification of autonomous heavy-duty vehicles.
Collaborate to scale up automation
In their respective press releases, DAF and Einride highlighted the importance of this collaboration:
As Jeroen van den Oetelaar, DAF Trucks' Chief Engineer and member of the board stated in their press release: 'This collaboration is a testament to DAF's commitment to innovation and future-proofing the logistics sector. By combining our premium truck platform with leading autonomous technology, we are actively shaping a more efficient, safer, and sustainable freight ecosystem.'
Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer at Einride in their press release: 'This collaboration validates our vehicle-agnostic approach to autonomy and brings us one step closer to deploying safe, scalable Level 4 autonomy at commercial scale.'
For TNO, the collaboration is also an important step towards enabling automated vehicles that can improve the safety and efficiency of vehicles. Bastiaan Krosse, Research Manager Integrated Vehicle Safety at TNO: 'This collaboration is at the heart of TNO's work in mobility and logistics: supporting the industry with innovative vehicle safety solutions and accelerating their safe introduction into the logistics system.'
Source: TNO
