Introduction to Aurora Innovation

Aurora Innovation, a leading autonomous vehicle technology company, is set to expand its successful commercial launch of driverless trucks. The company plans to introduce night driving capabilities and operate in adverse weather conditions such as rain or heavy wind in the second half of 2025.

Expansion Plans

Aurora announced on Thursday that it will begin sending its self-driving trucks out at night and in challenging weather conditions. The company also plans to expand its driverless trucking route beyond Dallas to Houston, and into El Paso and Phoenix, as stated in its first-quarter shareholder letter.

Increasing Efficiency

“We aim to maximize the return on asset for every truck we have, and to achieve this, we will drive efficiency to get as many miles on as many trucks as fast as possible,” said Aurora CFO Dave Maday during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “By unlocking night driving, we expect to double our drive time, which is our next key milestone.”

Current Operations

Aurora currently operates freight with self-driving trucks in various conditions, but with a human safety operator behind the wheel. The company has completed over 4,000 miles in a single self-driving truck without a driver, hauling freight for its launch customers Hirschbach Motor Lines and Uber Freight.

Future Milestones

Since Aurora’s commercial launch, the company has expanded to two driverless trucks operating daily and expects to operate “tens of trucks” by the end of 2025. The company has also achieved significant milestones, including the completion of over 4,000 miles in a single self-driving truck without a driver.

Leadership Changes

The company’s expansion plans come alongside the resignation of co-founder and chief product officer Sterling Anderson, marking a significant shift in the company’s leadership.

Revenue and Growth

Aurora shared new details on Thursday in its first-quarter shareholder letter about plans to grow its autonomous freight service. The company reported $871,000 in pilot revenue from its drivered commercial freight runs, which was up 22% on a quarterly basis and 54% compared to the same time last year, according to Maday.

Upcoming Event

Financial Performance

“At commercial launch, we will begin recognizing revenue,” Maday said during the earnings call. “This will include driverless revenue, as well as continued pilot revenue… With our deliberate approach to launch, we expect our 2025 revenue to be modest, in the mid-single-digit millions. For modeling purposes, we expect revenue to build sequentially throughout the year.”

Operating Expenses

The company reported $211 million in operating expenses, including $153 million for R&D. It used $142 million in operating cash and $8 million in capex in the first quarter, ending with nearly $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments. Aurora expects to spend $175 million to $185 million per quarter for the rest of this year.

Long-term Plans

In the short-term, Aurora plans to own, operate, maintain, and insure its own trucks — made available on the Uber Freight network — for customers. The company is working with partners Paccar and Volvo Trucks to build self-driving trucks at scale. Starting in 2027 or earlier, Aurora expects customers to buy those trucks directly from manufacturers so it can shift to a driver-as-a-service model and achieve “high gross margins,” per Maday.

Update

This article was updated with more information about Aurora’s recorded revenue and the company’s next milestones.