Arrival announced its automated driving system (ADS) has successfully completed a live demonstration at a fully functioning parcel depot for the first time without a human driver inside the Arrival Van. The vehicle was able to autonomously complete all operations that are performed daily by a commercial fleet driver, the company said in a statement. 

As part of Robopilot, Arrival has been developing its autonomous driving functionality for the Arrival Van. The technology can be adapted for the planned rollout of all Arrival Vehicles, including the Arrival Bus and Arrival Car. 

Arrival’s ADS uses in-house algorithms, combined with hardware helping to fast-track the development of self-driving technology. The company will begin testing its autonomous driving functionalities on roads in the U.K.

“At Arrival, we are building supplementary technologies that will help drivers. Depot maneuvers are the most accident-prone parts of a worker’s shift and with our technology, we hope to introduce greater safety by removing human driving errors happening in confined environments,” said Max Kumskoy, head of advanced driver assistance and ADS, Arrival. “We are starting with a fixed controlled environment in the depot, where we are truly able to test and validate our technology. We can then understand how it will operate on public roads, in our vehicles, and how it can be implemented worldwide.” 

Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) part-funds Robopilot.