It’s another small step in the development of fully autonomous electric trucks.
The Swedish startup Einride and global logistics provider DB Schenker launched earlier this month the first commercial installation of a T-pod all-electric autonomous truck on a public road in Sweden.
We first heard about the T-pod in 2017 and it seems that after two years of development, the Einride T-pod is ready for a pilot project and real-world tests of autonomous driving Level 4 at low speed of 5 km/h (3.1 mph).
The Einride T-pod entered service at DB Schenker facility in Jönköping, Sweden in November 2018 and in March the Swedish Transport Agency approved it to operate on a public road – “a short distance on a public road within an industrial area – between a warehouse and a terminal – where traffic speeds are typically low”. The truck is autonomous (there is no cabin), but with remote control by a supervisor.
We assume that successful operation will enable it to gradually improve the system and expand in terms of area and speed.
Electric trucks
Einride T-pod specs:
14 Photos Previous demos: https://youtube.com/watch?v=mWu53vAdtYE An adaptation of the T-pod designed to carry logs, the T-log is capable of SEA level 4 self-driving. It has no driver’s cab, but can be remote-controlled by a human operator when appropriate. No driver’s cab – and no driver – means a smaller vehicle, increased loading capacity, greater flexibility, increased safety, lower operating costs and optimized energy consumption, allowing the T-log to run solely on batteries.
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https://youtube.com/watch?v=PHoQk03JWW4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MAdP2G8LNbMThe second version – under development – is the T-log
https://youtube.com/watch?v=m5HGUY3xxf8
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