Aurora launches second-gen driverless trucks with hardware built for one million miles Aurora has launched second-generation driverless trucks as it expands autonomous freight operations across 10 US routes. Read Next: Top 5 hydrogen-powered flying cars, eVTOLs that are under developmentAurora Innovation has launched its second-generation driverless trucks, aiming to expand its autonomous freight operations across 10 routes in the US Sun Belt. The new Class 8 trucks are based on the International LT Series and feature Aurora’s next-generation hardware, which the company says is designed to last for up to one million miles. The launch marks a key step in the company’s plan to move from initial driverless deployments to larger-scale commercial operations. Aurora’s driverless trucks have already traveled nearly 440,000 miles on public roads as of the end of June. The company said the new platform will allow it to put hundreds of autonomous trucks on the road and serve more customers. The expansion comes as demand for autonomous freight technology grows. One customer recently announced plans to purchase 500 trucks powered by Aurora’s self-driving system, although the company cautioned that some customer intentions may not yet represent binding orders. New hardware hits road Before deploying the second-generation fleet, Aurora completed its Safety Case for the new truck and hardware. The process is the company’s established framework for assessing whether its technology is ready to operate on public roads without a human driver behind the wheel. Aurora is working with Roush, a product development and manufacturing supplier, to prepare the trucks for commercial deployment. Roush is installing redundant systems and integrating Aurora’s next-generation hardware at a production facility dedicated to the company. More from Transportation See AllThe partners have also established an upfit process that Aurora says could position Roush to reach an annual production rate of 1,000 Aurora