Autonomous electric trucks launched in Sweden

T-pod, a prototype of a completely autonomous electric truck, was first introduced two years ago by Swedish company Einride. Logistics company DB Schenker expressed great interest in the vehicle, and the truck passed all tests in 2018. It has recently been put to commercial use.

The advantages of using autonomous transport are evident: transportation becomes more reliable, and large investments are quickly compensated by savings on drivers. In addition to economic efficiency, the ecological aspect is also rather important: because trucks use electric engines, they are safe for the environment. With this development, savvy entrepreneurship goes hand in hand with caring for the environment.

T-pod does not have a driver’s seat or controls, and its movement is enabled thanks to multiple cameras, radars and LIDAR. Nvidia Drive — a computing system featuring artificial intelligence algorithms — also plays an important role. In emergencies, control can be handed over to a remote operator.

One full battery charge is enough for 200 km, and the truck can reach a speed of 85 km/h. You might encounter a T-pod on the streets of Sweden today: the truck makes its rounds between a warehouse and a terminal. Einride has entered into numerous agreements with other companies, so we can expect the number of operating trucks to reach 200 in 2020.