Waabi unveils autonomous truck made in partnership with Volvo

At TechCrunch Disrupt, the self-driving truck company Waabi unveiled its latest innovation, the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck, marking a significant milestone in the realm of autonomous transportation. This development comes just eight months after the startup announced its collaboration with Volvo Autonomous Solutions, focusing on creating a specialized truck that integrates Waabi’s advanced software with Volvo’s autonomous driving platform. During her presentation, Waabi's CEO Raquel Urtasun expressed confidence that the company could lead the industry by being the first to deploy self-driving trucks without the need for a human safety driver or observer. This statement subtly referenced competitor Aurora, which recently introduced a commercial driverless service but later added a human observer to its trucks. Urtasun highlighted the capabilities of their technology, stating, “We can drive on generalized surface streets right now in Texas, and we plan to expand our operations across the entire U.S. in the coming years.” Previously, she served as chief scientist at Uber ATG before founding Waabi in 2021. While Aurora also has a partnership with Volvo and launched its own self-driving truck in May 2024, Waabi's approach involves utilizing its proprietary technology, including a unique sensor suite and the Waabi Driver software, to ensure scalability and efficiency in commercial operations. “Our design for the Volvo VNL emphasizes built-in redundancies that allow for the removal of a human driver, ensuring a local and safe product,” Urtasun noted. She also emphasized the lightweight nature of their sensor poles, which streamline integration into the manufacturing process. This partnership between Waabi and Volvo is further strengthened by Volvo's investment in Waabi through its venture capital arm, as part of a $200 million Series B funding round completed in 2024. This collaboration represents a significant step towards the future of autonomous logistics, combining both companies' strengths to meet the growing demands of customers and logistics operations.