Waabi and Volvo Partner to Unveil Autonomous Truck

Waabi and Volvo Launch Autonomous Truck

Waabi, a self-driving truck technology company, announced on Tuesday at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 the release of a new autonomous vehicle. This truck, the Volvo VNL Autonomous, was developed in collaboration with Volvo.

Partnership Details

The unveiling occurred just eight months after Waabi, backed by Uber and Nvidia, revealed its partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions. The aim was to create a customized truck leveraging Volvo’s autonomy platform and Waabi’s software.

Potential for Driverless Commercialization

During her presentation on the TechCrunch Disrupt AI stage, Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun stated the company is positioned to be the first to successfully commercialize self-driving trucks without requiring a human safety driver or observer.

This statement was subtly directed at Aurora, a competitor who initiated a driverless service earlier in the year but subsequently added a human observer to the truck cab.

Expansion Plans

“Currently, we are capable of operating on generalized surface streets in Texas,” Urtasun explained. “Over the coming years, our services will become available throughout the entire U.S.” Prior to founding Waabi in 2021, Urtasun held the position of chief scientist at Uber ATG.

Competition with Aurora

Aurora also has a collaborative agreement with Volvo, having presented a self-driving truck in May 2024. Aurora’s commercial service, which includes a human observer, began operations earlier this year along a route connecting Dallas and Houston. They announced an expansion to El Paso on Tuesday.

While utilizing the same truck model, Waabi’s version incorporates its proprietary technology, including its sensor suite, computing infrastructure, and the Waabi Driver software.

Waabi Driver Technology

The Waabi Driver is an end-to-end AI model designed to facilitate the scaling of autonomous driving capabilities across diverse geographical locations. This includes both highways and typical surface streets.

Waabi asserts that this technology enables commercial operations that are scalable, customer-focused, and compatible with existing logistical frameworks.

Volvo VNL Design and Integration

“The Volvo VNL was specifically engineered with redundancies to allow for the safe removal of the human driver,” Urtasun noted. “This facilitates the creation of a globally safe and robust product.”

She further emphasized the lightweight nature of their sensor pods, making integration into the factory production line straightforward.

Investment and Funding

Waabi’s collaboration with Volvo is reinforced by the automaker’s investment in the startup through its venture capital arm, Volvo Group Venture Capital, in 2023.

Volvo also participated in Waabi’s $200 million Series B funding round in 2024.

Note: A previous statement regarding Aurora’s initial launch of its commercial service has been clarified. It did not originally include a human observer in the cab.