优步宣布停止自动驾驶卡车研发

Uber has said it will stop developing self-driving trucks to focus its autonomous technology solely on cars.

优步称其将停止自动驾驶卡车研发，集中打造汽车无人驾驶技术。

Uber’s self-driving truck programme started in 2016 with a team based in San Francisco.

优步的自动驾驶卡车计划始于2016年，总部设在旧金山。

The ride-hailing firm marked the world’s first commercial shipment delivered by a self-driving truck later that year.

这家提供叫车服务的公司于当年晚些时候实现了由自动驾驶卡车交付世界上的第一批商业货物。

The truck drove 120 miles (193 km) along a highway in Colorado with a trailer full of Budweiser beer.

这辆卡车在科罗拉多州的一条高速公路上行驶了120英里（193公里），车上装满了百威啤酒。

The idea behind self-driving trucks was initially to improve the safety and efficiency of the trucking industry, according to Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) website.

优步的先进技术集团（ATG）网站称，研发自动驾驶卡车的最初想法是为了提高卡车运输行业的安全性和效率。

"We believe having our entire team’s energy and expertise focused on [self-driving cars] is the best path forward," ATG head Eric Meyhofer said in a statement.

ATG负责人Eric Meyhofer在一份声明中说：“我们相信将我们整个团队的精力和技术用于[自动驾驶汽车]是最好的前进之路。”

The company did not immediately respond to further questioning from the BBC.

该公司没有立即回应BBC的更多提问。

Uber Freight, which matches mostly owner-operator truck drivers with shippers, will be unaffected by the move.

优步货运（Uber Freight）主要连接业主运营的卡车驾驶人和托运人，将不受此举影响。

Uber’s self-driving car development has not been without problems.

优步的自动驾驶汽车研发并非无可指摘。

In March, the firm said it was suspending self-driving car tests in all North American cities after a fatal accident.

今年三月，该公司表示，在发生致命事故后，该公司暂停了所有北美城市的自驾车测试。

A 49-year-old woman was hit by a car and killed as she crossed the street in Tempe, Arizona.

一名49岁的女子在亚利桑那州坦佩市过马路时被一辆汽车撞击死亡。

The fatal accident came a year after Uber pulled self-driving cars from the roads after another accident which left one of the vehicles on its side.

这起致命事故发生前一年，另一起事故中的一方正是优步的自动驾驶汽车，这之后优步进而暂停了其自动驾驶汽车上路。

A handful of Uber’s self-driving vehicles have just been put back on the roads in Pittsburgh following the March suspension.

三月禁行令后，一些优步的自动驾驶车辆被重新投放到匹兹堡的公路上。

Self-driving cars have been hailed as the future of the ride-hailing industry as well as a way to reduce traffic accidents.

自动驾驶汽车被誉为乘车行业的未来，也是减少交通事故的一种方式。

Other companies including Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler and car supplier Bosch are investing in the development of self-driving vehicles.

包括福特、通用汽车、梅赛德斯-奔驰创建人戴姆勒和汽车供应商博世在内的其他公司都在投资开发自动驾驶汽车。

However, there have been warnings that the technology is being deployed before it is ready.

然而，有人警告说该技术在成熟之前就已投用了。