Hesai is applying its lidar expertise to Westwell’s industry-leading autonomous farm tractors – a partnership that will see both companies advance the state of autonomous technology.

There is no doubt that electrification The Killer app for yard trucks and terminal tractors. The trucks travel on tight routes, the work requires instant low-end torque, and the crowded, ever-changing nature of the port environment they operate in rewards quiet operation (translation: When someone yells, “Stop!” that the operator can hear is a huge advantage.) Toyota knows this. Volvo knows this. And DHL knows this so well, in fact, that they have been able to achieve a positive ROI on their fleet of orange electric vehicles that they have committed to electrifying 100% of their terminal fleet.

But the increasing prevalence of electric trucks in ports and terminals is useless if there aren’t enough people to drive them. And the national (if not global) shortage of young drivers in the industry isn’t just a popular topic on the Heavy Equipment Podcast—it’s a multibillion-dollar problem that the industry is racing to solve.

Beyond that, however, Hesai believes it is a problem that it is closer to solving than anyone else.

For its part, Westwell seems to agree. The company’s autonomous logistics solutions – from terminal trucks to material handlers to forklifts – will soon be equipped with Hesai’s advanced lidar systems at more than 200 corporate customers in 20 countries.

Westwell believes that working closely with Hesai will enable it to deliver greater productivity and significantly improved operational efficiency and quality to its fleet customers, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

Hesai and Westwell equip autonomous trucks with lidar

Westwell’s R&D team uses a multi-sensor “fusion” approach, equipping each of its vehicles with multiple Hesai XT32 and AT128 lidar sensors to ensure precise operation in different scenarios.

That’s good because port operations involve large trucks and enormous loads, and constant accuracy is required despite rapidly changing and potentially dangerous conditions. Simply put, cameras alone are not enough.

Westwell boasts that its autonomous Q-Trucks and E-Trucks achieve an impressive +/- 5 with Hesai’s XT32 mid-range lidar. millimeter Range precision. The lidar provides high-quality point cloud data that can be easily processed by autonomous driving algorithms, and its innovative optical system includes dirt and salt detection and self-cleaning systems to ensure high-quality performance that guarantees accurate vehicle orientation and interactions in ports.

Hesai believes its lidar system can help improve industrial robotics beyond large trucks by providing precise distance, speed and imaging data to enable accurate positioning, obstacle avoidance and navigation in complex environments.

SOURCE | IMAGES: HESA.