All-electric, autonomous logging truck revealed at Goodwood Festival of Speed
7.12.2018
July 12, 2018 - Today, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Swedish tech start-up Einride revealed its latest product: an autonomous, all-electric logging truck. More powerful than Einride's pallet vehicle, the all-electric, autonomous truck Einride revealed last year – for timber applications – incorporates some off-road capabilities and is designed to navigate forest roads.
Robert Falck, CEO of Einride, said: “Einride is constantly pushing the boundaries of autonomous and all-electric vehicles in our ambition to lead the transition to a sustainable transportation system. With Einride's autonomous vehicle for timber, we’ve created a vehicle that can withstand the rigors of a demanding environment. It is uncharted territory for us, but also an enormous market for battery-powered AVs.”
No driver enables cost-effective logging transport
Powered by the Nvidia Drive self-driving platform, Einride's autonomous vehicle for timber is capable of SEA level 4 self-driving. It has no driver’s cab but can be remote controlled by a human operator from hundreds of miles away using Phantom Auto teleoperation safety technology designed to provide robust, minimal latency telecommunications even with 4G. No driver’s cab enables a smaller vehicle, increased loading capacity, greater flexibility, lower production costs, lower operating costs and optimized energy consumption, allowing the vehicle to run solely on batteries, even in difficult environments.
Connected to an intelligent routing software, providing it with real-time traffic data, the autonomous vehicle can adjust its route to avoid congestion miles ahead. A fleet of timber AETs will be coordinated by an intelligent routing system, optimizing delivery time, battery life and energy consumption, making the transport as efficient as possible.
Robert Falck added: “The driver’s cab is what makes trucks expensive to produce, and having a driver in the cabin is what makes them expensive to operate. Remove the cabin and replace the driver with an operator who can monitor and remote-control several vehicles at once and costs can be reduced significantly. In addition, operating a vehicle from a distance allows for a much better working environment, as has already been demonstrated in industries like mining.”
A safe, healthy and green alternative to diesel
Emitting no greenhouse gases or toxic nitrogen oxides, Einride's autonomous vehicle for timber is an environmentally and health friendly alternative to diesel powered trucks. Equipped with cameras, lidars and radars, it has 360-degree awareness of its surroundings – no blind spots, no dead angles.
Robert Falck said: “Heavy road transport is responsible for a substantial part of global CO2e emissions. Add to that the tens of thousands of people who die every year from NOx pollution – effectively poisoned by diesel fumes – and you have every reason to look for a more sustainable alternative. The Einride autonomous vehicle eliminates those emissions entirely, by replacing diesel with electricity. Technology has progressed to make it happen. And because it can be done, it must be done.”
Einride hopes to introduce the autonomous vehicle for timber to public roads by 2020. The company has already registered interest from several major global companies.
Einride autonomous vehicle for timber specifications
Battery capacity: 300 kWh
Carrying capacity: 16 ton
Distance travelled on one charge: 120 miles
Width: 2,552 m
Height: 3,563 m
Length: 7,338 m
About Einride
Part commercial enterprise, part revolutionary movement, Einride is bent on a complete transformation of the transportation industry. By challenging conventional thinking, by utilizing big data and cutting-edge technology — and by inspiring people to take responsibility for the planet and each other — Einride is making the movement of goods more intelligent: emission-free, safe, cost-effective, and ultimately, sustainable.
Media contacts
Need further details? Get in touch with our Press team by clicking the button below or emailing press@einride.tech.
Go Einride