From the outside, the Mercedes-Benz Axes used to cut sugarcane in Brazil may not look very special. Under the skin, however, it is equipped with an advanced automatic driving system.
Axor has been used in Brazil since 2019 and has been modified by Mercedes and Brazilian agricultural manufacturer Grunner for sugarcane harvesting. By the end of 2022, about 640 Axor models will be modified by Grunner, of which 580 will be in the hands of customers.
An advanced autonomous system means the truck can control the speed and distance while working alongside the sugarcane harvester. The driver can intervene at any time, Axer can collect sugarcane and drive automatically along with the harvester at a speed of about 6 km / h (3.7 miles).
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To enable Axor’s autonomous function, only pre-harvesting on an onboard computer is required.
The Mercedes-Benz Axor models used by sugarcane growers have an extra front axle and tires that sit outside the working edge of the body.
The German carmaker says the automatic Axer is more fuel efficient than a traditional sugarcane truck and has lower maintenance and service costs. Due to the high average operating speed, it can harvest almost twice as much at the same time.
These trucks differ from the Daimler truck’s main autonomous driving strategy. Through its Torque Robotics subsidiary, Daimler Truck is developing Level 4 autonomous features for trucks in the United States. Daimler Truck is also working with Waymo to integrate technology company autonomous driving technology with Freightliner Cascadia.