Somerville, Mass. 16 December 2021 – GPR, the provider of Ground Positioning Radar for precise vehicle localisation, announced Roger Nielsen, former president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, has joined the company’s advisory board.
Nielsen brings nearly 40 years of experience in commercial vehicle product development, quality manufacturing, and sales to the GPR team as the company moves closer to commercialisation of its proprietary Ground Positioning Radar in autonomous trucks.
“At Daimler, we led the effort into automating our commercial trucks and I saw firsthand the gaps to launching a robust product,” says Nielsen. “GPR’s groundbreaking technology closes some of the most important gaps that remain in the way of launching a viable autonomous commercial truck offering.”
“Autonomous commercial trucking is advancing quickly but its value proposition hinges on being able to operate precisely at all times. We’ve seen a sharp increase in collaboration with autonomous trucking companies as they look to deliver a product that carries freight 24/7—regardless of weather conditions or other common obstacles,” says Tarik Bolat, cofounder and CEO of GPR. “Roger brings world-class experience to the GPR team and will help us navigate our growth in delivering ADAS and AV performance for heavy-duty commercial vehicles.”
Nielsen joins GPR’s advisory board following a long and successful career at Daimler Trucks, the commercial vehicle manufacturer, from which he retired after 35 years. During his time at Daimler, Nielsen led advancements in the company’s autonomous trucking technology, including the acquisition of Torc Robotics, a company working on bringing autonomous driving to the North American commercial vehicle industry. Under his leadership, Daimler’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) won Best Transportation Technology at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show.
GPR maps the road substructure beneath a vehicle, which is completely unique and stable over long time frames, allowing vehicles traveling over mapped areas to find their position. Vehicles enabled with GPR are able to position themselves with exceptional precision and reliability, regardless of conditions surrounding the vehicle such as poor weather, the lack of clear lane markings or landmarks, and while within parking garages.
GPR’s board of directors and advisors already includes prominent stakeholders in the industry including Joe Hinrichs, former president of Ford Motor Company; Charles “Chuck” Stevens, former CFO of General Motors; Kurt Lehmann, former CTO of Continental; and Carsten Boers, founder and general partner at Rhapsody Venture Partners..
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