Autonomous truck company Aurora delays hauling freight without human drivers until April

PITTSBURGH -- Autonomous motortruck institution Aurora Innovation says it won't commencement hauling freight without humans connected board until April of adjacent year, a hold from erstwhile statements that commercialized work would statesman by nan extremity of 2024.

The Pittsburgh institution connected Wednesday said nan April motorboat of driverless semis walking from Dallas to Houston will beryllium “modestly later” than nan institution had intended.

The institution told investors connected its third-quarter net convention telephone that it has made advancement toward ensuring its trucks will run safely.

Remaining obstacles are “primarily successful nan areas of immoderate elements of aboveground thoroughfare driving and immoderate elements of building that we spot connected nan freeway,” CEO Chris Urmson said. “We want to person highly precocious assurance successful nan strategy arsenic we arsenic we spell forward.”

The institution will commencement pinch astir 10 autonomous tractor-trailers and move to “tens” of trucks by nan extremity of adjacent year, Urmson said.

“This displacement to our timeline will person a negligible financial effect and does not impact our scaling efforts connected our way to self-funding," Urmson said.

Aurora besides intends to haul freight without quality drivers from Fort Worth, Texas, to Phoenix later successful 2025, Urmson said.

Aurora successful August added astir $500 cardinal to its equilibrium expanse pinch a superior raise successful August, which nan institution expects to money nan first phases of its strategy to standard up driverless trucking.