Uber has announced that it is closing its self-driving truck division to refocus its efforts on autonomous cars only. Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies Group, the division that oversaw self-driving truck development said: “We believe having our entire team’s energy and expertise focused on this effort is the best path forward.”
The leading ride-sharing company did not say how many employees will be affected, but it said it notified workers and plans to assign them to other relevant teams. Another part of the division, a freight program that offers traditional truck drivers a way to find gigs, won’t be affected by the closure.
Uber began testing self-driving trucks shortly after it acquired the autonomous trucking startup Otto in August 2016. Truck testing took place in California, Arizona and on an Uber test track in Pittsburgh. But it’s been a trying year for the company’s self-driving efforts.
CNN reports that the Otto acquisition landed Uber in a heated legal battle with Google over autonomous vehicle technology. The latter company accused a former Google engineer who founded Otto of stealing trade secrets. The case was abruptly settled in February.
Uber has also had problems with its self-driving car program. In March, one of its self-driving Volvos stuck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. That case drew the widespread scrutiny of the project — police have said the person who was in the driver’s seat was likely streaming a reality TV show when the crash happened.
After that incident, Uber halted its entire self-driving vehicle program. It later said it would not return to Arizona. Only last week did Uber resume testing in Pittsburgh, with drivers in full control of the cars.
