Driverless Tech is Still on the Table: Hyundai Gears Up

The mania surrounding driverless or autonomous cars might feel a bit old-school nowadays – but the concept of robot vehicles is still very much in the headlamps of companies such as Hyundai.

Driverless cars are still a way away from being fully mainstream – they’re going to need incredible safety testing to be considered safe for public use! However, recent news from Hyundai suggests we’re inching ever closer to letting computers do the driving.

Specifically, the auto giant recently revealed its Xcient Fuel Cell to US customers, which is apparently ready to support what’s known as Level 4 automated driving.

Even more specifically, we’re looking at the US’ very first self-driving truck that’s powered completely by hydrogen. Partnering with Californian engineers at Plus, which specializes in autonomous truck production, Hyundai is making American trucking cleaner and more efficient – though quite what truckers themselves will make of this news, who’s to say?

Xcient technology has been around for a while now, but it’s the newest truck to use this tech that’s currently turning heads.

Hyundai’s launching the automated vehicle in the US as part of its initiative to push for smarter, greener haulage and transport. It’s thought that the fuel cell will provide robot trucks with more than 724 km on the road.

It’s not just the US that’s benefiting from the latest tech release, either. Hyundai is steadily releasing the new trucking tech across Australia and Europe, and there’s been a limited release in Asia – which is still somewhat reliant on turbodiesel.

The new truck and fuel cell combo promises to burn zero harmful emissions as many manufacturers lean into electric vehicles, or EV. Certainly, it’s a different way of addressing the CO2 nightmare we’re all contributing to – but will many convoys pick up a driverless truck or two so soon?

Driverless trucking, on paper, carries tons of benefits. Long-haul driving carries plenty of risks for truckers, who need to stay alert for extended periods and take care of extremely sensitive materials and cargo.

Of course, there’s also likely to be cost savings for haulage firms, who might choose to scale back on paying salaries to invest in AI instead.

What will that mean for truckers’ jobs? It’s a bit too early to say. As mentioned, we’re still some way off fully automated vehicles entering the mainstream at all – but it’s worth preparing for what Hyundai believes to be a surge in driverless transport to come.

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for increasing interest in driverless trucks and private vehicles across the islands, too. There’s going to be some resistance, of course, with regard to safety – at least at first – but by the end of the decade, you could well be driving shoulder to shoulder with robots or taking taxi rides with automated drivers!

In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted about any further developments when it comes to Hyundai’s driverless truck tech. Will they continue to lead the charge for AI trucking, or will new rivals emerge? Let’s wait and see...