Uber closes the doors on their self-driving trucks

Uber is well-known for their ride share services, and many came to love it. Since the start of their service, they have delved into more business ventures.

Uber has been doing more than updating their app or dealing with a stolen Ferrari. They also have been working on autonomous cars and trucks,  after a huge purchase of Otto, a company that specializes in this market.

Launching in May of 2017, the San Francisco-based truck division has made some progression but have stated they will be shutting down. According to TechCrunch, the company has stated they will shift all resources to the car division. They will be innovating the Volvo XC90 to be used with Uber cars.

The trucks were apart of Uber Freight, an initiative to attract drivers to help transport goods for companies, similar to how ride-sharing service transports individuals to locations. With the help of their new sister company Otto, Uber was able to produce a truck to drive semi self-autonomous.

(Photo: DC Velocity)

The movement was lead by a couple of former Google employees, Anthony Levandowski and Lior Ron. Major success occurred when one of the trucks was able to log 120 miles in one trip holding a shipment of beer.

The new pick up of Otto was not all good news however, lawsuits followed when Waymo, a Google subsidiary believed the two former Google employees were trading company secrets. In a settlement, the Uber division lost roughly a quarter of a billion dollars.

These employees were later fired and some left the company. To put a nail in the coffin, an Uber self-autonomous vehicle crashed merely months after the lawsuit was settled. The decision to shut down is no surprise as they are short-handed. We will be keeping a close on how the cars will be effected by this decision.