German automotive parts company Continental AG and U.S.-based self-driving technology firm Aurora Innovation said on Thursday they would jointly design and develop autonomous systems for the trucking industry.
Investors and industry executives have been concerned about heavy investments going into self-driving technology and the protracted timelines to develop it.
Continental, which will manage the lifecycle of the hardware kits it supplies for the Aurora Driver technology platform, said it expects production to begin in 2027.
The companies also said Aurora Horizon is expected to be launched next year. The autonomous freight truck subscription service is based on the technology that Continental will help develop and build.
Aurora Driver will also be available for commercial fleet operators and freight carriers across the United States and is expected to reduce costs of adopting autonomous driving technology, the two companies said.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
