If your business’s supply chain involves transporting goods over long distances, you’ll definitely want to give this Inc. article read. It details how in a recently completed experiment, a fleet of partially self-driving delivery trucks were able to complete a shipment various goods across Europe, some of which had to travel more than 1000 miles to reach their destinations. In addition to being able to calculate and control acceleration and braking via Wi-Fi, the trucks were also able to travel in a tight platoon that allowed them to expend 10 percent less fuel than a traditional truck fleet.
While the legality surrounding self-driving vehicles are still being hammered out in the US, the success of this European experiment will likely be cited by companies like Google that have thrown billions into developing self-driving tech. The article also notes that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently presented the research suggesting that existing technology could be utilized in creating “slot-based intersections,” a system that would allow self-driving cars to drive in tightly packed groups that would utilize the force of drag to allow cars to use less fuel and emit less pollutants while also rendering stoplights redundant. Given the substantial savings on gas and time that they provide, self-driving cars and trucks could have a game changing effect on the marketplace.
Read the full article here: http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/self-driving-truck-platoons-complete-1000-mile-trip-across-europe.html
