Volvo Autonomous Solutions is a division of the Volvo Group that focuses on developing and implementing autonomous transport solutions. Founded in 2020, Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) is transforming the movement of goods in mines and quarries, and on highways with safe and efficient autonomous transport solutions. We have approximately 400 employees based in the United States and Sweden. In addition, being part of the Volvo Group gives us access to a plethora of expertise in many areas.

Our autonomous transport solutions are not just self-driving vehicles and machines—they are a complete ecosystem that includes a virtual driver, vehicle, infrastructure, day-to-day operational management, repair and maintenance. We operate in two segments: mining and quarrying, and highway trucking. Autona/earth is our solution for mines and quarries, while Autona/freight is our offering for the highway transportation segment. Our Autona suite of solutions is based on Transport as a Service, where customers are charged based on the capacity they use or the amount of material we move for them.

Get an overview of our solutions here.

Our autonomous transport solution is not just self-driving vehicles and machines. It's a full-service autonomous model, meaning that we provide custom packages that encompass everything from software and site infrastructure, to training and operations. We collaborate with our customers to create solutions that are tailor-made for the challenges they face. For mining and quarrying we offer Autona/earth and for on-road trucking we offer Autona/freight. 

The included infrastructure is tailored to each customers need, but for mining applications typically it includes things like gates, barriers, terminals or communication systems needed to successfully implement autonomous transport solutions in existing business operations. Together with our customers, we define and put in place the infrastructure needed for their business. Read more on the Autona/earth page.

For on-road applications, the infrastructure includes terminals, operations, and uptime services. Read more on the Autona/freight page.

An autonomous truck is a truck capable of performing dynamic driving tasks without a human driver. This means tasks that would ordinarily be controlled by a human driver such as steering, braking and acceleration, are controlled by a virtual driver. At Volvo Autonomous Solutions, we offer a purpose-built Volvo truck or machine, equipped with redundant systems enabled for safe and reliable autonomous operations.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions is focused on developing autonomous vehicles that adhere to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 4 standard. According to SAE, Level 4 vehicles are capable of driving in specific areas under defined conditions and do not require human drivers to take control of the vehicle.

We operate fully driverless commercial vehicles at Brønnøy Kalk's quarry in Norway. Read more about the Brønnøy Kalk project here. In Texas, our autonomous trucks run with a safety driver on our initial lane that runs from Dallas to Houston. 

For our mining and quarrying segment, our solution, Autona/earth, employs our proprietary virtual driver equipped with its own advanced perception kit. This kit includes a combination of sensors such as cameras, lidar, IMU and radar to ensure accurate detection and classification of objects in various conditions. The input from these sensors is processed by the virtual driver to navigate and operate the vehicles safely and efficiently within confined environments.

In the highway trucking segment, we are partnered with Aurora and Waabi for the virtual driver and its perception technology. 

Autonomous trucks use a combination of advanced sensors, software, and connectivity to operate without human input. These vehicles are equipped autonomous driving systems that include technologies such as LIDAR, radar, cameras, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to continuously scan and interpret their surroundings in real-time. The onboard software, known as the virtual driver, processes this data to detect objects, plan safe routes, and control steering, acceleration, and braking, for safe and efficient navigation to the destination.

We believe autonomy will improve safety and efficiency. The benefits of autonomy vary between each of the industry segments we’ve chosen to work with. 

Within quarries and mines, autonomy improves safety by removing humans from potentially hazardous working environments and can increase productivity by enabling continuous operation. Within hub-to-hub, autonomy will help address increasing freight demand by creating a new source of capacity that can  operate without restrictions on hours of service, as well as ease the pressure on drivers by taking on long-haul routes, allowing drivers to take short-haul jobs that keep them closer to home.. 

At Volvo Autonomous Solutions, our holistic approach to safety is integrated into our development processes, allowing us to design and build systems capable of performing safely in the intended environment. This commitment to safety is reflected in our testing and verification protocols, which uphold Volvo’s safety standards through both simulations and real-world testing of trucks, vehicles, infrastructure, connectivity, and cloud systems. We work with our customers to create a safety case that is tailored to each site, removing the safety driver when the safety case is closed. 

We believe that redundancy is a key part of developing safe autonomous operations. Volvo VNL Autonomous, designed for the ground up for autonomy, features robust redundancy for critical systems, such as braking, steering, and communication, allowing it to operate safely even if a primary system fails. For our on-road solutions, we have a joint safety case with our virtual driver partners. 

Additionally, by collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders, including first responders and law enforcement, we help drive industry standards to enhance safety across the board.

Read about our approach to safety here.

Autonomous trucks are designed to complement the current transport system, taking over long hauls and treacherous routes to improve safety and efficiency, enabling human drivers to drive short-haul routes and stay closer to home. We believe autonomous solutions will complement today’s transport systems and help manage capacity constraints connected to driver shortages. We also believe there will always be a need for professional truck drivers and that automation can make those jobs better. Under our Hub-to-Hub model, we envision a future where autonomous trucks will tackle long-haul driving, easing some of the burden of the increasing demand for freight, while also enabling local drivers to shift into short-haul jobs that get them home more often and enhance the occupation’s quality of life. 

The speed at which we will see autonomous vehicles in operation will depend on several factors including the pace of technological development, legislation, infrastructure, and societal acceptance. It will also depend on the type and complexity of the application. For instance, we are more likely to see autonomous vehicles sooner in confined areas or in areas where we have full control over who enters the autonomous operating zone. We currently have driverless operations in the mining and quarrying industry. On Texas highways we are driving autonomously with a safety driver. 

To deploy a truck that can safely operate without a human driver, Volvo believes it must have redundancies – duplicated safety-critical systems that can take over if a failure occurs in the primary system. The Volvo VNL autonomous truck, built from the ground up for autonomy, incorporates six key redundancies for critical systems such as braking, steering, power management, and communication. While there is currently no regulation requiring redundancy, at Volvo, we have never waited for an invitation to create purposeful change in our industry. Read more about our approach to redundancy here.

ODD describes the specific conditions under which an autonomous vehicle is designed to operate, including types of roadways, speed ranges, weather, and environmental conditions. It determines how the autonomous driving system and vehicle operate safely within  defined parameters.