Swedish company tests self-driving truck on public roads

In Sweden, Einride has started testing its self-driving truck on public roads. The electrically powered Einride T-Pod truck makes a number of short trips daily in the city of Jönköping at a low speed in an industrial zone.

Testing of the self-driving T-Pod truck will take a year. During that period, the truck travels a distance of about three hundred meters every day, from a department store to a freight terminal. According to Einride, the Swedish company behind the project, it is the first time that a self-driving truck without a backup driver has been allowed on public roads by the government.

Although the truck has a top speed of 85 km/h, it only travels 5 km/h during the test; higher speeds are currently not allowed by the Swedish transport agency Transportstyrelsen. Another limitation is that the tests may only be performed on a public road in an industrial zone. There is no place for a driver in the cab of the T-Pod. The truck can optionally be adjusted remotely via a mobile network. There is a 200 kWh battery in it and that would be good for a range of 200 km.

The pilot project in Jönköping involves collaboration with a logistics company. The two companies are considering starting a number of similar projects in other countries. According to Einride, the technology of the T-Pod truck has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions from freight transport by 90 percent in the long term.