Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation has announced that it is delaying the commercial deployment of its autonomous trucks to April 2025, which is about a quarter later than originally planned. The company, which had initially aimed for a launch by the end of 2024, stated that the delay is to ensure the continued validation of its self-driving technology.
Aurora CEO and co-founder Chris Urmson explained in a shareholder letter that while the timeline shift is later than intended, it falls within the margin of error anticipated by the company throughout 2024. The company plans to introduce the Aurora Driver with a gradual approach, which means that the delay is not expected to have a significant financial impact.
Initially entering the market as a carrier, Aurora’s ultimate goal is to transition to a driver-as-a-service model. Under this model, carriers would purchase trucks equipped with Aurora Driver technology and offer their services to shippers using these vehicles.
To assess the performance and readiness of the Aurora Driver, the company relies on on-site support, which it describes as the most costly form of assistance. By the end of the third quarter, the Aurora Driver was autonomously handling commercial loads without remote human intervention 80% of the time, a significant increase from the previous quarter. Aurora aims to achieve a rate of 90% by the time of the commercial launch in the spring.
During the commercial launch, Aurora plans to deploy up to 10 driverless trucks, with the goal of expanding to tens of trucks by the end of 2025. The company has been conducting tests with pilot customers such as FedEx, Werner, Schneider, Hirschbach, and Uber Freight, scheduling approximately 160 commercial loads per week. This volume represents a doubling from the previous year. As of October 27, 2024, Aurora’s trucks have completed over 8,200 deliveries and covered more than 2.2 million commercial miles, all under human supervision.
Despite being a pre-revenue company, Aurora Innovation reported an operating expense of $196 million in the third quarter, including $35 million in stock-based compensation. This figure is lower than the $212 million spent during the same period last year, demonstrating the company’s commitment to cost efficiency as it moves towards commercialization.
With $1.4 billion in cash and investments at the end of the quarter, following a fundraising round that brought in nearly half a billion dollars in August, Aurora has secured funding to support its scaling efforts and work towards long-term sustainability into 2026.
