'Trucking allows us to build a profitable, scalable business that funds the further development of ride-hailing and brings down the cost of hardware,' Sterling Anderson, Aurora's co-founder and chief product officer, said in an interview. Unlike some of its competitors, Aurora wants to provide both autonomous freight trucking and robotaxi services, saying the combination will lower costs, provide greater revenue streams and allow technology transfer.
The move comes as several autonomous trucking companies prepare to launch driverless routes in the coming years and begin signing up industry partners and customers in an effort to turn long-elusive self-driving into a profitable reality. PALMER, Texas, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Self-driving startup Aurora says it has discovered a path to turn costly self-driving vehicles into a profitable business, showcasing its technology to investors this week ahead of a public listing it hopes will provide some $2 billion in additional funding. (Changes second, third and fourth references to Sterling Anderson to Anderson instead of Sterling, paragraphs 10, 12 and 14)
