An unusual vehicle operates on electric traction. The first tests on regular roads are scheduled for 2020.
The timber truck is equipped with an autonomous NVIDIA Drive system of the fourth level. The vehicle has no cab — control is carried out remotely by an operator. The range without recharging is approximately 195 kilometers, and the payload capacity reaches 16 tons.
"It is the cab that makes trucks expensive to produce. If you remove it and replace the driver with an operator who can simultaneously monitor and control several vehicles, costs will significantly decrease," explained Einride CEO Robert Falk.
Earlier, the company had already showcased a prototype of the autonomous truck T-Pod. The removal of the cab and mechanical controls allowed reducing the vehicle's length to 7.3 meters. At the same time, the T-Pod can carry up to 20 tons of cargo — the same as "Level 8" trucks.
In 2020, Einride plans to launch a wide delivery network between Gothenburg and Helsingborg. The system will include 200 unmanned T-Pods, and charging stations will be installed between the cities. According to the developers' calculations, such trucks will be able to transport up to 2 million pallets annually, which will reduce CO2 emissions by 33,000 tons per year.
