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德国自动驾驶卡车上路

The first automated¹ semi-trailer truck started its maiden² voyage Friday, October 2, on a European highway. The Daimler truck called 'Actros' is the first potentially mass-produced truck whose driver will be required only to monitor the situation, similar to the role of an airline captain while the plane is in autopilot mode.

世界上第一辆半挂式自动驾驶卡车10月2日在欧洲一条高速公路上开始处女行。德国戴姆勒公司制造的这种叫做“爱克托斯”( Actros)卡车是第一辆可能大批量生产的自行卡车，驾驶员不必开车，只需要监控行驶状况，其作用类似于飞机在自动飞行模式中的机长。

The new 430-horsepower truck, loaded with 40 tons of cargo³, slowly pulled out of the parking lot in Stuttgart, driven by the head of Daimler’s trucks and buses division, Wolfgang Bernhard.

这辆具有430马力的卡车载着40吨货物，缓缓驶出在斯图加特的停车场。戴姆勒公司卡车和巴士业务的总管沃尔夫冈·伯纳德亲自驾驶。

Chatting with him in the passenger seat was Winfred Kretschmann, the prime minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the first German state to issue a license⁴ for autonomous⁵ trailer-trucks.

巴登-符腾堡州总理温弗雷德·克利茨曼坐在旁边和他交谈。巴登-符腾堡是德国为自动驾驶的拖挂卡车发放执照的第一个州。

Once on the highway, the driver lets the truck take over the steering⁶, said Wolfgang Bernhard of the Daimler Trucks and Buses Division.

一旦上了高速公路，驾驶员就让卡车自行驾驶。

“If I press this button now, we are on the road and we have actually begun the world premiere," he said. "Shall we do it, prime minister? Let's do it.”

伯纳德在车上说：“我一按这个钮，这款卡车的处女行就开始了。总理，我们开始吗？那就开始。”

Soon, the truck was self-driving down the busy A8 highway, near Stuttgart, at 80 kilometers per hour, followed by a car with cameras and, just in case, a police car.

紧接着，这辆卡车就以80公里的时速自动开上了斯图加特附近繁忙的 A8 号高速公路，后面跟着一辆摄像车，还有一辆警车，以备万一。

That doesn't mean the driver can zone out, there are strict rules for the person behind the wheel, said Bernhard.

这并不等于驾驶员可以什么都不管。对坐在方向盘后面的人有严格的规定。

“I'm not allowed to turn around," he added. "I'm not allowed to turn to the side because I have to continue to monitor the traffic situation. But I can take my hands off the wheel and, as you can see, the steering is smooth and the vehicle remains⁷ on track.”

伯纳德解释说：“我不可以回头，不可以东张西望，必须时刻监视路况。不过，我的手可以离开方向盘，你看，卡车走得很稳。”

A radar⁸ and a number of video cameras and sensors⁹ constantly monitor the road conditions. In adverse¹⁰ situations the truck will ask the driver to take over and, if he does not, it will automatically slow to a stop.

雷达以及一些摄像头和感应器在时刻监测路况。情况不佳时，卡车会要求驾驶员干预，如果他无动于衷，卡车就会自动慢慢停下来。

Daimler says its advanced trucks will relieve the drivers from the strain of driving on monotonous¹¹ stretches of the road and in stop-and-go traffic jams.

The company hopes necessary laws permitting such operations elsewhere could be passed before the initial goal of 2020.

戴姆勒公司说，这样的先进卡车使司机免除长时间单调开车和塞车时走走停停的劳顿。戴姆勒公司希望，其它州也能在2020年的初步目标之前通过必要法律，允许这种卡车的运行。