German heavy vehicle manufacturer MAN is to begin testing driverless lorries on German motorways on Thursday.
Germany's Transport Minister Volker Wissing is to be on board for a test drive on the A9 Autobahn north of Munich. The computer-controlled semi-trailer truck will travel around 10 kilometres from Allershausen, north of Munich, to the Fürholzen-West service area to promote the new technology.
Truck manufacturer MAN developed the test vehicle together with suppliers Bosch, Knorr-Bremse, Leoni, Tüv Süd and other partners and trialled it on the company's own test site.
With a special permit, it is now going onto the motorway for further testing. The truck is constantly monitored remotely by employees in a control centre and can be taken over if necessary, MAN spokesman Gregor Jentzsch said.
There is also a safety driver at the wheel who can intervene at any time.
Truck manufacturers and suppliers are hoping for big business with self-driving lorries.
Daimler Trucks has already been running pilot projects with customers on highways in the US for a year now.
The company wants to launch them on the market in 2027 and generate $3 billion in sales and $1 billion in earnings before interest and taxes by 2030, according to group spokesman Paul Mandaiker.
Self-driving trucks may be a solution for several problems facing the haulage sector, including a shortage of drivers in Europe and the US. Autonomous lorries also do not have to observe driving times and rest breaks, they can theoretically drive around the clock.
They won't get tired or inattentive and the number of accidents would be likely to fall.
But some in the industry are sceptical, saying that there are a multitude of technical problems that still have to be overcome.
Then there are the high investment costs. Both truck manufacturers and haulage companies will have to invest a lot of money in the conversion to e-mobility over the next few years, which is required by law and is now a priority.