Swedish autonomous trucking startup, Einride, has unveiled its new models, which are set to hit the road next year. Einride started in 2016 with its eye-catching prototype autonomous vehicles.
In 2017, they released the cab-less T-Pod in which four of it has already been in operation on public roads for Swedish food producer, Oatly. In 2018 the T-Log unveiled the T-Log, which is powerful than the T-Pod for hauling tons of massive tree logs.
On Thursday, the company has announced its next-generation autonomous vehicles and hopes to go global in the next years, Cnet reported. They are engaged in testing, validating, and seeking regulatory approval for all their autonomous electric vehicles.
Einride autonomous electric freight transportation Screenshot from YouTube/TechCrunch
Autonomous Electric Transport (AET)
Einride's new set of autonomous vehicles is Autonomous Electric Transport (AET), which comes in four variations: AET-1,-2,-3, and -4. But the AET 1 and AET 2 will be first released in 2021, and just like their predecessors, they do not have steering wheels, pedals, windshields, and other general features of any cab. In other words, they are also cab-less like T-Pod and T-Log.
AET vehicles' design looks almost the same as T-Pod's prototype with kits sleek, white, cab-less design, and smooth lines. According to the company's CEO Robert Falck, the AET being more aerodynamic will help when it starts to scale up.
The Verge reports that the AET 1 and AET 2 have top speeds of 30 kph, weigh 26 tons, carry payloads that weigh 16 tons in total, and a battery range of 130-180 kilometers. Meanwhile, AET 3 and AET 4 have similar specifications with the first two AET but have top speeds of 45kph and 85 kph, respectively.
Furthermore, Falck said that the main difference between the four variants of AET is its operational domain. AET 1can operate within a defined geographic area, while AET 2 uses teleoperation to travel outside a geofence. Then AET 3 is for a rural setting, and lastly, AET 4 is designed for highway driving.
The company believes their new vehicles will "reduce transport costs by up to 60 percent and CO2 emissions by a staggering 90 percent."
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Autonomous Technology Threatens Jobs
All of its vehicles are capable of SAE Level 4 using Nvidia's self-driving software, which means that the autonomous cars were controlled remotely, hundreds of miles away using the teleoperation technology of Phantom Auto.
Einride's innovation in using autonomous technology will significantly affect the trucking industry. Especially since the company that they have a bolder vision that includes off-roading and heavy-duty cargo.
Given that 4.4 million jobs in the US rely on driving, and 2.5 million of it are trucking jobs, this autonomous technology would lead to a massive displacement of workers, which causes fear among the workers. According to a study, automated cars would reduce human drivers' need by 50% to 70% in both the US and Europe by 2030.
Einride Goes Global
Einride's announcement on Thursday about its new vehicles comes with the statement that they plan to expand operations abroad, focusing on using the cars in closed-fenced facilities, ports, harbors, and some public roads. Moreover, the company also plans that by 2023 their vehicles will become capable of long-distance highway driving. This is an ambitious goal since many trucking companies have already achieved this one, yet they are still a startup company.
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