Freightliner Inspiration Truck Debuts at Hoover Dam

May 6, 2015
Hoover Dam was the setting for the world premiere of the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, serving as the largest projection screen ever in North America.

Hoover Dam was the setting for the world premiere of the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, serving as the largest projection screen ever in North America.

This projection – at 1.17 million lumens – earned Freightliner the Guinness World Record of highest light output projection ever and, with the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, Daimler introduced the world’s first autonomous truck licensed to drive on public roads at the historic concrete arch-gravity dam in southeastern Nevada.

To give this historic event a fitting, monumental backdrop, 60 projectors at 26,000 watts each projected the 30-minute presentation that introduced the Inspiration Truck. This unique video screening was projected onto a surface of a little over 420,000 square feet. This is equal to almost nine football fields and over 87 average-size IMAX screens.

To achieve this, the 60 projectors were synchronized to create an image with a resolution of 4592 x 2048 pixels on the dam a half-mile away. In addition to the complexity of the projector setup, the output of the projectors was impressive in itself. Together the 60 units generated about 1.17 million lumens, which is equivalent to the output of more than 1,400 60-watt household light bulbs and an official world record among projections.

In a ceremony, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval affixed a state license plate to the truck.

“The autonomous vehicle technology we are showcasing in the Freightliner Inspiration Truck will help reduce accidents, improve fuel consumption, cut highway congestion, and safeguard the environment,” said Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG Daimler Trucks & Buses. “Daimler Trucks North America is committed to developing the latest technology to meet our customers’ needs and delivering the best commercial trucks in the world. We are proud to get this vehicle on the road here today.”

Nevada was selected as the demonstration location because it is one of four states, plus the District of Columbia, with laws regulating autonomous vehicle operation. Nevada legislation passed in 2011 and 2013 regulates the testing and operation of autonomous vehicles. The legislation includes commercial trucks and sets standards specifying the number of miles an autonomous vehicle must have been tested in certain conditions before it can be granted a license to be driven in Nevada. Daimler obtained a special permit from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to operate the Freightliner Inspiration Truck on public roads near Las Vegas after supplying state officials with detailed information on the safety systems in the truck and the training program for the drivers.