Shift Magazine - December 2021 - 5

STAYING IN THEIR LANE
B
ig rigs inadvertently drifting into
another lane could become less of
a hazard on roadways as Daimler
Trucks North America and supplier Robert
Bosch roll out a new driver-assist feature
for trucks.
In what the companies say is a first for
the commercial vehicle market, Bosch
and Daimler partnered to produce a Level
2 lane-centering system for Freightliner
New Cascadia trucks. It utilizes a Bosch
steering system and multipurpose camera
and an algorithm developed by Daimler,
said Kevin Chronicle, a Bosch sales and
marketing executive.
" We saw that there was an opportunity
to make drivers' lives not only more comfortable
but also reduce accidents in the
field by implementing technology such as
this, " Chronicle said.
The technology, which received a 2021
Automotive News PACE Award, underscores
how advanced driver-assistance
systems are increasingly moving into
the commercial vehicle space. Chronicle
said technological innovations often are
first seen in passenger vehicles, which
are much higher volume,
before migrating their
way into big rigs.
Active Lane Assist,
as Bosch and Daimler
call it, uses a secondgeneration
Bosch multipurpose
camera
and
the
supplier's Servotwin
electrohydraulic
steering
system. The
camera makes use of a
lane-detection
algorithm
that allows the steering
system to keep the truck
in the center of the lane,
according to Bosch.
" It's less fatiguing in the
end of the day for the driver, " Chronicle
said.
The technology has the potential to
be adopted on a large scale, he said.
Chronicle said Bosch is meeting with fleet
companies and manufacturers to give
" educational sessions " about its potential
in commercial vehicles. It is also meeting
with drivers to learn what their concerns
Active Lane Assist uses Bosch's
Servotwin electrohydraulic
steering system.
are about such systems
as well as what they like
about them.
" It's important that we
In particular,
educate not only the fleets but
the drivers themselves and
make sure they understand
what the system is
capable of and how it can
benefit them, " he said.
the supplier said it
is
pitching drivers and fleets on the safety
and cost benefits of using advanced driver-assistance
systems on their trucks.
Chronicle pointed to a study the supplier
released in March that estimated that injuries
from Class 7 and Class 8 truck crashes
could fall by up to 23 percent if the trucks
were equipped with lane-keeping and
lane-change assist systems. Deaths could
fall by up to 19 percent, according to the
study, which drew on public crash data.
- John Irwin
GAUSSIN
UNVEILS
RACING TRUCK
French manufacturer
Gaussin SA said it has
created the world's first
racing truck powered
entirely by hydrogen
fuel cells and electric
batteries. The H2
Racing Truck, which
runs on 380 kilowatts
of fuel cells and two
300-kW e-motors, will
compete in the Dakar
Rally in Saudi Arabia in
January, the company
said.
december 2021 * shift
5
Shift Magazine - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - December 2021
