Partners for Automated Vehicle Education coalition is well-backed
Penske Truck Leasing (PTL), the heavy vehicle services firm with a presence in Australia, has joined an international grouping seeking to demystify vehicle automation decision-making.
The Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) coalition is described as is a “broad coalition of leading industry, non-profit and academic institutions launching a first-of-its kind, fact-based campaign to inform the public and policymakers about the potential and the reality of advanced vehicle technologies”.
Hailing it as an industry first, PTL cast the move as an effort that aligns with its mobility strategies around connected, automated, shared, and electric commercial vehicles.
“Varying levels of automation are already happening in the trucking industry,” PTL senior vice president of marketing Sherry Sanger says.
“We’re committed to helping advance a better understanding and separating the hype from realities with our customers and general public when it comes to automated trucks.
“Automation takes many forms in trucking, ranging from existing collision-avoidance and lane departure warning systems to other driver-assisted technologies.
“Advanced driver assistance in trucks and fully automated trucks may one day provide a range of societal and industry benefits including safety, environmental, and productivity when it comes to mobility.”
Read about fears Australia is being left behind on vehicle automation, here
PAVE includes amongst its members automotive giants such as Daimler, Volkswagen, Toyota and General Motors, along with the likes of the US-based Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International), the organisation which defines levels of vehicle automation and IT firms.
“PAVE members are united by a belief in the power of automated vehicles to improve safety, mobility and sustainability, and also a belief that, to achieve these benefits, we need to make sure everyone has the knowledge to participate in the conversation about the future of transportation,” PAVE coalition manager Tara Andringa says.
“We are excited that Penske has joined our coalition working to bring facts and understanding to these important conversations.”
PAVE’s public education campaign includes hands-on public demonstration events; policymaker workshops for stakeholders at the local, state and federal level; educational materials for industry sales personnel and others who work directly with consumers; and active online educational efforts through the PAVEcampaign.org website and social media channels.
“Through these and other activities, PAVE will seek to bring realistic, factual information to policymakers and the public so consumers and decision-makers understand the technology, its current state and its future potential — including the benefits in safety, mobility and sustainability — without unjustified hype or unreasonable fear.”