–Company is on track to achieve and demonstrate emergency vehicle interaction capability this summer
–Capability being developed with engagement from the Texas Department of Public Safety
SAN FRANCISCO, June 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Embark Trucks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EMBK, “Embark”), a leading developer of autonomous technology for the trucking industry, today shared an update on its progress to develop an emergency vehicle interaction capability for Embark-powered autonomous trucks to identify, stop for, and interface with law enforcement vehicles. Embark is working closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety (“Texas DPS”) to train Embark-powered trucks to identify law enforcement vehicles in situations such as traffic stops, and to develop communication protocols and standard operating procedures between autonomous trucks and law enforcement officers. Embark plans to publicly demonstrate the emergency vehicle interaction capability later this summer.
Emergency vehicle interaction is the next capability Embark has identified in its technical capabilities roadmap1, which details the 16 technology achievements required to deploy autonomous technology in the US Sunbelt, the region stretching across the southeastern and southwestern U.S. Embark has already achieved 11 of these milestones, and the emergency vehicle interaction capability represents the next step toward commercial deployment of its technology.
“Our technical roadmap represents a measurable path to commercialization of autonomous trucks, and making sure law enforcement can safely and intuitively interact with autonomous trucks is a ‘must’ for deployment,” said Emily Warren, Head of Public Policy at Embark. “Our work with Texas DPS prioritizes safety as we achieve this key technical milestone, and enables us to create a scalable emergency vehicle interaction model that can work across Texas and the U.S. Sunbelt.”
The emergency vehicle interaction capability is an engineering breakthrough with two key components:
- First, Embark’s engineering team is building the technical functionality for the capability, training Embark-powered trucks to identify emergency vehicle lights and other cues to slow down and pull over safely onto highway shoulders in accordance with law enforcement requests.
- Second, Embark is developing an interaction procedure with input from law enforcement that can enable any law enforcement officer to safely stop, approach, and receive information from an autonomous truck intuitively and without any additional equipment. This effort may include outfitting Embark trucks with clear visual cues and information to signal to law enforcement personnel that an Embark-powered truck is an autonomous vehicle and has come to a safe stop with no risk of restarting unexpectedly. Embark also plans to outfit trucks with a lockbox accessible to law enforcement containing vehicle and load information such as registration and bills of lading, as well as contact information so that law enforcement officers can reach an Embark Guardian operator to verify documentation.
Together, these features represent a comprehensive process for Embark-powered trucks to comply with law enforcement requests and, in the unlikely event of a traffic stop, pull over onto the highway shoulder so officers can safely interact with the truck or a Guardian operator.
About Embark
Embark Trucks, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Embark Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: EMBK), is an autonomous vehicle company building the software powering autonomous trucks, focused on improving the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the nearly $730 billion a year trucking market. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA since its founding in 2016, Embark is America’s longest-running self-driving truck program and partners with some of the largest shippers and carriers in the nation.
Embark’s mission is to realize a world where consumers pay less for the things they need, drivers stay close to the homes they cherish, and roads are safer for the people we love. To learn more about Embark, visit embarktrucks.com.
Contacts For Embark:
Media:
Misha Rindisbacher, press@embarktrucks.com
Investor Relations:
Bill Ong, investorrelations@embarktrucks.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Embark’s actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Embark’s expectations with respect to future performance. These forward-looking statements also involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) ability to expand into new markets; (2) changes in the applicable laws or regulations; (3) the possibility that Embark may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (4) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic; and (5) other risks and uncertainties separately provided to you and indicated from time to time described in filings and potential filings by Embark with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including those discussed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed on March 21, 2022, and other documents filed with the SEC from time to time. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Embark cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive and not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, including projections, which speak only as of the date made. Embark undertakes no obligation to and accepts no obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
1 See slide 9.
