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Weekly Recap: Autonomous driving goes commercial in Nevada

Nevada granted Daimler Trucks North America the first license to run an autonomous commercial vehicle on public roads in the United States Tuesday, marking another milestone in the technology's rapid advancement. Gov. Brian Sandoval and Daimler truck chief Wolfgang Bernhard promptly used the license to lap Highway 15 near Las Vegas in a newly revealed Freightliner Inspiration Truck. It was a clear signal that autonomous driving is big-rig reality, though it's still a long way from widespread use. Nevada certified two of Daimler's Freightliner Inspiration Trucks, which use the company's Highway Pilot system with a stereo camera, radar, and lane-keeping collision-prevention features to regulate the brakes and steering. The radar component has a long-range sensor that can cover 820 feet at an 18-degree angle and a shorter-range unit that stretches 230 feet at a 130-degree angle. The Inspiration trucks are based on the existing Freightliner Cascadia Evolution model used on US roads. In addition to the autonomous technologies, it also has futuristic design cues, including blue lighting in the front and a new hood and grille. While there are only two Freightliner Inspiration trucks in existence, Daimler expects to bring the Highway Pilot system into mass-produced big rigs by 2025, in time to capitalize on the market's predicted growth. The German truckmaker predicts the global hauling market will triple by 2050, and the United States will be a key part of that growth. Trucks carry 69.1 percent the nation's domestic freight tonnage and hauled 9.7 billion tons of freight in 2013, according to the American Trucking Association. Daimler expects autonomous driving to augment this growth, and perhaps evolve the role of the truck driver. Still, the company points out autonomous tech is not meant to replace drivers, but to assist them and relieve fatigue and monotony on long hauls. The driver has to stay in control for passing, in city traffic, and when hooking up the trailer. The company said autonomous driving also offers the potential for improved fuel economy – tests showed a five-percent gain – and lower maintenance costs. Daimler also said the technology could reduce congestion on the road. Much of this is attributable to the constant flow of traffic, which is aided by autonomous driving. While the benefits are becoming increasingly apparent, autonomous technology is still met with skepticism.

Lamborghini Jumpacan built to race The Mint 400 hits the dirt

Lamborghini's cars keep finding their way off the boulevards and into the barrens. Officially, Lamborghini whipped out the rally-happy Huracan Sterrato concept in 2019, preceded by the Gallardo Parcour concept in 2013. Unofficially, an unnamed builder sold their off-road Gallardo complete with light bars and rear-mounted spare in 2019, the same year Alex Choi showed off his Huracan V3 Unicorn with an external roll cage, and in 2017 some audacious owner got his Lamborghini Jarama bouncing through stages of the DWA Coastal Range Rally in California. Let us now add the Lamborghini Jumpacan to the roster. Fabbed up by the YouTubers at B is for Build, the Jumpacan's been in the works for 18 months with the intention to race it at The Mint 400 this December. The man behind B is for Build, Chris Steinbacher, recently got the Jumpacan out to the desert plains for its first test over 40 miles per hour.  The mashup started as a Huracan that had been mangled in a big accident. The Build team 3D-scanned the chassis and got it straight, then performed a similar surgery to one they'd carried out on their SEMA Huracan in 2019: They put an LS V8 in back and paired it with a Graziano six-speed manual, leaving off the 1,500-horsepower SEMA car's two turbos. The Jumpacan's been fitted with a long-travel suspension designed by SEM Dirt, the 35-inch tires hung up front and 37-inchers in the back contributing to the 12 inches of ground clearance. Other bits include Holley electronics managing the engine, a radiator mounted just behind the cockpit and fed by a roof scoop, Ford Shelby GT500 brakes tucked into Rotiform wheels, a roll cage and racing fuel cell, and the obligatory torso-hugging racing seats. The Jumpacan conversion has stretched the Huracan's width from 76.1 inches stock to 102 inches.  True, it's barely a Lamborghini anymore. But it might be the coolest thing that was once a Lamborghini to ever line up at The Mint. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ sets Nurburgring lap record

It seems everyone is out to claim a lap record at the Nurburgring. Having a car sit at the top of the Green Hell's lap board is huge point of pride for people. Just scroll through past Autoblog posts about the track. You'll find Porsche, Lamborghini and Nio all claiming lap records in different categories. The Dodge Viper used to hold the crown before falling to faster and more modern cars. There's speculation as to what might break the record in the future. Today, Lamborghini announced that the new Aventador SVJ has broken the production car record with a lap time of 6:44.97 minutes. That's a hair faster than the Nio EP9 lap time from last year. The Nio knocked off the then-new Lamborghini Huracan Performante, so we're sure Nio is eager to get back out and have another go. While the times from Lamborghini and Nio might be impressive, they're way off the actual lap record. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Just a couple of weeks ago, Porsche announced that its 919 Hybrid Evo — an unrestricted version of its Le Mans prototype race car — set a record of 5:19.546. That's nearly a minute and a half faster than road-legal cars. The Aventador SVJ was piloted by Marco Mapelli, a factory-backed race car driver. The car was fitted with cameras and VBOX telemetry equipment to measure and verify the lap time. The Aventador SVJ's record was teased earlier this month with a new video, though a video of the full record-setting lap has yet to be released. Expect something soon, as well as outside verification so we don't get the whole "Lamborghini cheated" back and forth that went on after the Hurcan set its record. Related Video: