Future Truck 2025

On 2 October 2015 the maiden journey of the first autonomous series-production trucks on public roads was broadcasted live here.

Stuttgart/Magdeburg – From a vision to reality – the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 gives an exciting and realistic outlook on the long-distance truck of tomorrow. In ten years trucks will be able to drive autonomously on the motorways and highways of Europe. Their drivers will no longer be "truckers", but rather "transport managers" in an attractive mobile workplace offering scope for new professional skills. Transport efficiency will increase, traffic will be safer for all road users and CO₂-emissions will be further reduced. Connectivity is the basis for a technical quantum leap. The necessary parameters must be put in place to make it reality. To this end all those involved are engaged in a dialogue - that is the vision of Daimler Trucks, the worldwide technological leader in the commercial vehicle business.

The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 – tomorrow's technology today.

Autonomous driving has long been far from science fiction at Daimler. Autonomous driving with long-distance trucks will be a reality in ten years time. The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 study, which is close to reality, has already absolved this stage. It is technologically based on the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Actros. It demonstrates the future-proof concept of Europe's leading long-distance truck, which has set the standard for cost-effectiveness, safety and ease of operation since its market launch in 2011.

The Mercedes-Benz Actros – basis for the near-series study.

The technological basis for the Future Truck 2025 with "Highway Pilot" is the Mercedes-Benz Actros 1845. Its engine develops 330 kW (449 hp) and a maximum torque of 2200 newton metres. Power is transferred by the fully automated 12-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission, which is standard equipment.

Its unusual semitrailer already provides a visual outlook on the near future. Mercedes-Benz presented the Aerodynamics Trailer two years ago, as a world premiere at the International Commercial Vehicle Show (IAA). Aerodynamically optimised, it is able to reduce the fuel consumption of the complete semitrailer combination by up to five percent. The overall package consisting of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 and Mercedes-Benz Aerodynamics Trailer allows the advantages of both to be perfectly combined into the semitrailer combination of tomorrow.

Eyes front: radar sensors and a camera scan the road ahead.

The technical features are decisive for the outstanding capabilities of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 as an autonomous vehicle. A radar sensor in the lower area of the front end scans the road ahead at long and short range. The front radar sensor has a range of 250 m and scans an 18-degree segment. The short-range sensor has a range of 70 m and scans a 130-degree segment. The radar sensor is the basis for the Proximity Control Assist and Emergency Braking Assist already available today.

The area ahead of the truck is also scanned by a stereo camera located above the dash support behind the windscreen. This is currently the location of a mono-camera if the optional Lane Keeping Assist is ordered. The range of the stereo camera is 100 m, and it scans an area of 45 degrees horizontally and 27 degrees vertically.

The stereo camera of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 identifies single- and double-lanes, pedestrians, moving and stationary objects, all objects within the monitored area and also the condition of the road surface. The camera recognises everything that contrasts with the background, and is therefore also able to measure clearances precisely. The front stereo camera also registers the information on traffic signs.

In addition to object and distance recognition, the stereo camera recognises lane markings as a major function for autonomous track guidance.

The road surface to the left and right of the truck is monitored by radar sensors installed in the sides. They are located on the left and right, ahead of the tractor unit's rear axle. The sensors have a range of 60 m and cover an angle of 170 degrees.

Multisensor fusion: fusion of the data from all sensors.

The sensors are networked (multisensor fusion), and provide a complete image of the surroundings. All moving and stationary objects in the truck's vicinity are registered. Fusion of the data from the front radar sensor, side radar sensors and front camera by a high-performance multi-core processor in the central computer provides a continuous view of the entire area in front of and beside the truck. For comparison, the human eye has a 150-degree angle of vision, but its focal area is merely a fraction of this.

The sensor system of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 already comes from the next generation of this technology. The sensors work so precisely that they can not only recognise the road edge by the marker lines, but even identify the course of the road surface by the roadside features (e.g. guard rails or vegetation).

The sensor and camera technology is active throughout the speed range from standstill to the legally permitted maximum truck speed of 80 km/h. By intervening in the steering, it automatically keeps the truck safely in the centre of its lane. The system also includes a three-dimensional digital map, which is already used for the assistance system Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC). This means that the truck is always fully aware of the road's course and topography.

In addition the digital map and the information from multisensor fusion are used to determine the truck's own position.

V2I – communication between the truck and infrastructure.

V2I means that all these messages and signals are also sent to external recipients such as traffic control centres. These are then able to respond flexibly, for example by changing the speed limit or opening up additional lanes. Messages can also be sent to the vehicles, for example about daytime or temporary roadworks.

If the next relay station for V2I is out of direct range, the information is relayed via other vehicles in the form of a transmission chain. If there is no WLAN network, transmission is by mobile technologies such as UMTS and GPRS.

All these data inform the driver or the onboard computer about events happening outside the range of vision in good time. The driver and vehicle are therefore aware of problems in advance, before they can become a hazard.

Just over 30 km of autobahn, with interspersed open stretches, slow-moving traffic and a broken-down passenger car. So nothing special? On the contrary: there is a truck driver at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025, but something else exercises control in this situation: The "Highway Pilot" drives the truck autonomously. The driver attends to other matters during the journey, and only intervenes when required. Tomorrow's technology in a truck of today: driving on the autobahn in the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025.

Acknowledging assignments and reserving a parking space while on the move.

The semitrailer combination of the future is now moving smoothly with the traffic at a cruising speed of 85 km/h, always keeping the correct safety distance of 60 m from the vehicle ahead and staying precisely on course. The initial apprehension in the cockpit has now been allayed. Likewise the temptation to keep a constant eye on the traffic situation, so as to intervene at any time. This is not necessary. Even gusting cross-winds do not bring the truck off-track – the technology corrects its course more rapidly and safely than any human driver. The driver might now decide to compose an email or listen to music.

Or attend to more important matters. For example use the tablet to acknowledge an assignment that has just come in by V2I communication, or take a look at the proposed route in navigation mode and choose a suitable service station for the next break. The menu for the day promptly appears on the screen. So the driver can take the opportunity to pre-order the meal of his choice and reserve a parking space. Are there any friends or colleagues logged-in on the same route? Easy to find out, perhaps they can arrange to meet up for the next rest break.

The Future Truck 2025 pays attention and makes room.

The traffic of tomorrow will likewise have its share of unforeseen incidents and breakdowns, occasionally slow down and come to a stop, but the Future Truck 2025 smoothly adapts to the conditions. A message appears in the display: "Emergency vehicle approaching". The information comes from a police car, by V2V communication. The communication between vehicles works perfectly, the truck automatically moves over to the right until it reaches the lane marking, clears the way for the fast-moving police car and then returns to the centre of its lane.

Meanwhile the driver remains in his working position and merely observes the scene. And uses Skype to answer an enquiry from a colleague travelling well behind about the cause of the delay. Because the "Highway Pilot" is able to announce a broken-down vehicle ahead in advance. It is stationary on the emergency lane, so the truck automatically moves left to the centreline and passes the broken-down vehicle while keeping a safety distance, as it also has its eye on the traffic in the left lane. After passing the obstacle, the truck returns to the right-hand lane and accelerates back to its cruising speed.

Overtaking is manual, the driver retains control.

Minutes later the display reports a slow-moving vehicle ahead. In autonomous mode the Future Truck 2025 would patiently follow the slow-mover, as it never leaves its lane. But in this case overtaking is worthwhile, owing to the large difference in speeds. So the driver pivots the seat into the driving position, takes over manual control, indicates and changes lane to overtake. Returning to his lane, he can then hand control back to the "Highway Pilot". Important note: the driver of the autonomous truck is always in full control, and can always override the technology by steering, braking or accelerating as required.

Plan the next tour while on the move.

There are more important things to do than manually keep pace in a convoy of trucks: the tablet reports another assignment, this time with a refrigerated semitrailer. Once again V2I communication comes into its own: an app is used to activate the trailer's refrigeration unit directly from the tablet, and it is pre-cooled at exactly the right time. When the driver arrives to pick up the trailer, it will be at just the right temperature.

But there is still time for a break beforehand: the vehicle is approaching the chosen service station. In good time the "Highway Pilot" announces the exit road on the tablet and display, then starts a countdown for the driver to take over the necessary manual control. A welcome break: the reserved parking space is available, and the pre-ordered meal is on the dining table in the service station right on time. All perfectly normal in the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck, and in 2025.

Is there a danger of gridlock in the future? Nobody can be certain. But experts agree on one contributing factor: forecasts for the future development of goods traffic in Europe suggest that it will increase considerably. There is also agreement on a second aspect: the main burden of this will fall on road transport, as a transfer to other means of transport only appears possible to a limited extent.

Figures already available now carry a clear message. In its latest study carried out in 2012, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, puts a figure of around 76 percent on road goods traffic as a proportion of total goods traffic in the EU. In the six most heavily populated EU member states the proportion varies from 66 percent in Germany to 96 percent in Spain.

In its recently published "2030 traffic forecast", the German ministry of transport expects a future increase in the truck transport volume by 39 percent in Germany alone. In their "World Transport Reports" scenario, the experts at the independent Swiss business consultancy ProgTrans expect an increase in goods traffic in the EU by around 20 percent between the crisis year of 2008 and the year 2025. Other sources such as the Ifmo study predict an annual two percent increase in the EU given dynamic economic development. This adds up to a 50 percent increase in the next 20 years, doubling the current level of demand for transport by the year 2050. Within this period, even an annual growth of only 0.7 percent means an increase in transport volume by just under 30 percent.

Investment in the transport infrastructure is however regressive, as the statistics show: while it amounted to 1.5 percent of the EU's gross domestic product in 1970, the figure has roughly halved in the meantime. In recent years the network of motorways and long-distance highways in the large nations of the EU has hardly grown. We are all familiar with the results: the roads are over-congested, especially in the densely populated regions of Western Europe. In Germany alone, the length of traffic tailbacks on motorways and major highways totalled just under 600,000 km, and drivers spent a total of 230,000 hours standing in tailbacks. On working days many busy sections of motorway have to cope with between 150,000 and 200,000 vehicles per day, more than 20,000 of which are trucks.

Transport businesses suffering from cost pressure and a shortage of drivers.

The overloaded infrastructure is just part of the future scenario. It is exacerbated by increasing cost pressure on businesses in the road goods transport sector. Fuel prices and toll fees are tending to increase, and trucks are becoming more expensive owing to new and increasingly stringent legal requirements: This is shown by the introduction of the Euro VI emission standard early this year. Moreover, an electronic stability programme will become mandatory this year, followed next year by AEBS (Advanced Emergency Braking System) and LDWS (Lane Departure Warning System).

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Clausen, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML): "The transport and logistics sector benefits today from substantial advances achieved by commercial vehicle manufacturers in the recent past. I am referring here in particular to fuel-efficient trucks whose noise levels have been reduced once again and which produce substantially less emissions than earlier generations of vehicles. Efficiency levels which would have seemed virtually impossible only a few years ago have since been attained here. For the future course of development it is important to consider vehicles in the overall context of the logistics chain and the transport system. The central aspects within these systems are data processing and communication, navigation and interaction between vehicles. The potential for increasing efficiency in the future lies not in the vehicle alone but in the interaction of vehicles, infrastructure and logistics systems."

At the same time companies are lacking professionally qualified drivers. The reasons are the demographic trend, tough requirements for obtaining a licence as a professional truck driver, modest earnings, working hours unsuited to family life and, not least, the low professional image that society gives to truckers.

As transferring road goods traffic to other means of transport is only possible to a limited extent, the only alternative is to make better use of the existing infrastructure, introduce more networked assistance and telematic systems, and make truck driving a more attractive profession. At the same time new opportunities are created by new communication technologies: Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure, also known as V2V and V2I. It is particularly these new intelligent networking possibilities that scientists and vehicle developers consider to have considerable potential for establishing autonomous vehicles.

Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke, Director of the faculty of information management in mechanical engineering at RWTH: "Together with a number of remarkable breakthroughs such as the IBM computer Watson or the Google Car in the last two years, we are entering a new era in artificial intelligence – namely mass networking. Daimler's Bertha Benz journey must also be included. The "Internet of Things" plays an important role in this. It represents an expansion of the internet: the participants are no longer just people, but also things – such as the sensor system in a car, climatic data stations, process data systems in production engineering, and other systems that directly interact with the environment. Completely new forms of cooperation between technical systems are made possible on this basis – and especially when it comes to road traffic and mobility."

With its "Highway Pilot" system, the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 is an intelligently conceived and realistic response to current developments – it communicates with its environment and drives autonomously. In the future, connectivity and Big Data Management in a tailor-made vehicle and services package will be decisive factors for our customers. Connectivity is the key to increased efficiency.

The way towards this has been prepared by the already available assistance and telematic systems. Proximity Control Assist, Stop-and-Go Assist, Active Brake Assist 3, Lane Keeping Assist and three-dimensional maps for the Predictive Powertrain Control system are already in place, as are FleetBoard telematic products ranging from vehicle management and transport management to apps for the driver and operator. Daimler Trucks was the trailblazer in the development of all these systems. The next step is therefore logical: they are now being linked to each other and expanded, with cameras and sensors developed further and networked. This is rounded off perfectly by V2V and V2I communication and a digital map. In this way the truck of the future will be linked to all aspects of its environment.

Semi-autonomous driving already occurs now in day-to-day motoring: many modern cars are able to park autonomously on command. The technology finds a suitable parking space and steers the car into it, while the driver only needs to acccelerate and brake - one example is Active Park Assist from Mercedes-Benz. Stop-and-Go Assist automatically keeps the vehicle in station in e.g. tailbacks. Our customers are already confirming their acceptance of these intelligent systems to us today – by ordering our assistance systems to a major extent.

From a vision to reality – the spectacular Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 study will be providing a visually exciting and technically feasible take on the long-distance truck of tomorrow at the 2014 International Commercial Vehicle show (IAA). In ten years' time, trucks could be driving autonomously on motorways. Transport efficiency will increase, traffic will be safer for all road users, and fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions will be further reduced. To do this Mercedes-Benz connects existing assistance systems with enhanced sensors to the "Highway Pilot" system. Autonomous driving is already possible at realistic speeds and in realistic motorway traffic situations. The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 provides a glimpse of the future shape of trucks.

Revolution on the motorways: goods transport to become more efficient, safer and more connected in the future.

The technology of tomorrow is already reality at Daimler Trucks. The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 constitutes a revolution in efficiency, safety and networking, a revolution for road traffic and its infrastructure, for professional driving and for the road transport sector. This is not a new truck, but rather the key element in the interconnected transport system of the future. It is being developed as part of the "Shaping Future Transportation" initiative by Daimler Trucks to conserve resources and reduce emissions of all kinds. Other aims are to ensure the highest possible level of traffic safety and to boost networking with intelligent data management considerably for tailor-made vehicle and service solutions.

The prototype demonstrated the exciting capabilities of the Future Truck 2025 back in the summer at speeds of up to 80 km/h in realistic traffic situations on a section of the A14 motorway in Magdeburg, Germany. Now the thrilling exterior and interior of that same vehicle are being revealed. The tractor unit combined with an aerodynamically optimised trailer celebrates its world premiere as a study at the International Commercial Vehicles show (IAA).

Radar sensors and a camera scan the surroundings.

The technology behind this exciting façade is no less impressive. The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 is not, for instance, part of a platoon. It does not need to be daisy-chained to other vehicles either. Radar sensors and camera technology enable the Future Truck to drive autonomously, independently of other vehicles or central control stations. Its technical features are thus crucial in giving the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 its outstanding capabilities as an autonomous vehicle. For Mercedes-Benz the culmination of this is the highly intelligent "Highway Pilot" system, which resembles the autopilot on an aircraft. Networking with other trucks or passenger cars extends its abilities further, but is not necessary for autonomous driving.

A radar sensor in the lower area of the front end scans the road ahead at long and short range. The front radar sensor has a range of 250 m and scans an 18-degree segment. The short-range sensor has a range of 70 m and scans a 130-degree segment. The radar sensor is the basis for the proximity control and emergency braking safety systems already available today.

A stereo camera installed above the instrument support behind the windscreen keeps the area ahead of the vehicle in view. This is currently the location of a mono-camera if optional Lane Keeping Assist is ordered. The range of the stereo camera is 100 m, and it scans an area of 45 degrees horizontally and 27 degrees vertically.

The stereo camera of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 identifies single- or two-lane roads, pedestrians, moving and stationary objects, all objects within the monitored area and also the road surface. The camera recognises everything that contrasts with the background, and is therefore also able to measure clearances precisely. The front stereo camera also registers the information on traffic signs.

In addition to object and distance recognition, the stereo camera recognises lane markings as a major function for autonomous lane guidance.

The road surface to the left and right of the truck is monitored by radar sensors installed in the sides. They are located on the left and right, ahead of the tractor unit's rear axle. The sensors have a range of 60 m and cover an angle of 170 degrees in the longitudinal direction.

Blind Spot Assist: more safety when turning and changing lane.

These sensors form the heart of the new Blind Spot Assist system from Mercedes-Benz. The radar sensor modules are arranged in such a way that they cover the area parallel to the truck over the entire length of a tractor/trailer combination or drawbar combination. In addition this strip is extended forwards to two metres in front of the truck.

Blind Spot Assist warns the truck driver about other road users not only when turning; it also warns about imminent collisions with stationary obstacles – for example signs or lamps – and serves as an assistance system when changing lane.

For Mercedes-Benz, the planned introduction of Blind Spot Assist over the next few years is a major step paving the way for the Future Truck 2025 and underlines Mercedes-Benz's role in pioneering maximum road safety.

The transport system of tomorrow will be networked and autonomous.

All sensors on board the Future Truck 2025 are networked (multi-sensor fusion), and provide a complete image of the surroundings. All moving and stationary objects in the truck's vicinity are registered.

Fusion of the data by a high-performance multi-core processor in the central computer links the data from all sensors in the whole area in front of and beside the truck.

The sensor and camera technology is active from standstill to the legally permitted maximum speed for trucks. By intervening in the steering, it automatically keeps the truck safely in the centre of its lane. The system also includes a three-dimensional digital map, which is already used for the assistance system Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC). This means that the truck is always fully aware of the road's course and topography.

Consumption and emissions down – efficiency and safety up.

At the same time fuel consumption and emissions are significantly reduced during autonomous driving, thanks to the more homogeneous traffic flow. Transport times will become more predictable. The new activities carried out by the driver or transport manager during journeys will revolutionise the freight forwarding sector, making it a dynamic and self-learning system.

Traffic flows on long-distance routes that are predictable for all road users mean more safety for all those involved. Already, assistance systems regulate vehicle speeds and are able to automatically initiate emergency braking to prevent accidents. Both have proved their worth for a number of years. Autonomous driving stands for perfection by fusion of the assistance systems.

In the future, accidents caused by human error will therefore be largely a thing of the past. Safety regulations such as speed limits or safety gaps between vehicles will always be strictly adhered to. Anticipatory driving, a recurring theme in driver training courses, means programmed safety and cost-effectiveness for the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025.

The answer: Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025.

Where the associated legal steps are taken, the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 with the "Highway Pilot" system is the answer to the challenges of the future. The answer to increasing traffic, inadequate infrastructures, increasing cost pressure and a shortage of drivers. Against the background of numerous new and enhanced assistance and telematics systems and V2V/V2I communication, a new era in road goods transport and communication is being ushered in. In the future traffic will flow more smoothly, predictably and safely. Traffic systems will become more flexible, with better use of the infrastructure. Avoidance of human error at the wheel will reduce hazards and accidents. Transport operators will operate more cost-effectively and flexibly. Truck drivers will be able to assume different tasks as transport managers. This answer to the many challenges is not just a vision, it is already reality.