The Russian company Sberavtotech (a subsidiary of Sberbank) and the Belarusian MAZ have signed an agreement on the development and launch of mass production of an unmanned tractor, writes Izvestia. Experts estimate the cost of the project at 5-8 million euros per year.
Previously, Sber tested its self-driving propulsion systems only on Kia Ceed cars in Moscow. Now it has been decided to take a different path: not to modify the standard car, but to design another one, immediately unmanned at the assembly line.
The first model should be the latest two-axle main tractor MAZ-54402L.
The creators do not disclose the details of the project, but it is known that they plan to deliver the driverless tractor to the Belarusian and Russian markets, while they are ready for orders from other CIS countries.
Why Sberbank chose MAZ is unclear, especially since the Belarusian company was only actively engaged in unmanned development in 2021. However, a representative from MAZ said the factory had already digitized the control systems of several models of freight and passenger vehicles and produced components that would ensure the connection of vehicles to autonomous control systems.
As for the creation of driverless trucks, this is now a promising direction. With the development of the unmanned logistics corridor (BLK) project on the Moscow-St. Petersburg (M-11), unmanned tractors will be in high demand in the market.