Aurora says it will triple its network of self-driving trucks

Aurora, the self-driving truck company founded by former members of Google’s pioneering self-driving car team, has begun expanding. Ahead of its quarterly earnings report today, the company announced that a new software update will enable it to triple its driverless network to a total of 10 routes across the southern US.

currently, Aurora has 10 self-driving trucks without safety monitoring devices Driving routes between Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and El Paso. The company has released three previous software updates: the first allowing driverless rides between Dallas and Houston; The second is to allow driving at night; The third is to expand its network to include roads leading to El Paso.

With this new update, Aurora will begin operating flights between Fort Worth and Phoenix, which take more than 15 hours to complete. Legally, human truck drivers are prohibited from driving 11 hours a day, within a 14-hour duty limit, before they are required to take a break. An autonomous truck is not subject to these same restrictions. Additional routes include: Dallas and Houston; Fort Worth and El Paso; El Paso and Phoenix; Fort Worth and Phoenix; Dallas and Laredo.

The company is also using artificial intelligence to build new maps for its self-driving system, with the aim of shortening the time between testing, verification and commercial operation. According to Aurora:

After one manual drive, cloud algorithms are able to generate semantic components, helping to create new maps with little human assistance. Mapping automation dramatically reduces the time needed to plan new routes, enabling Aurora to accelerate the rollout of new routes and endpoints to customers this year.

Aurora still operates trucks equipped with safety monitoring devices for many of its customers, including Hirschbach Motor Lines, Detmar Logistics, and “one of the leading transportation companies in the United States from its facility in Phoenix.” Aurora CEO Chris Urmson He said previously That the company is complying with partner requests to keep drivers safe in the cab is a visual issue, not an indicator of technological decline. Operationally, it has no impact on Aurora’s progress.

The company is also adding a new semi-truck model to its fleet, based on the International LT, along with a new hardware range that costs half the current range. Aurora says it will launch the new driverless truck in the second quarter of 2026. The company expects to have 200 driverless trucks in operation by the end of the year.

Finally, Aurora said its cash position has improved. Previously, Urmson said Aurora had roughly $1.6 billion in the bank, enough to last through the second half of 2027. Now, the company says it expects to achieve positive free cash flow by 2028, suggesting Aurora will generate more money from its business operations than it loses.