Swedish T-Pods Mate Truck and Trailer
Swedish transportation startup Einride unveiled a full-scale prototype of its T-pod self-driving vehicle with the capacity to haul 15 standard pallets.
The Stockholm-based company said the 23-foot-long, electric vehicle has a range of 124 miles, with a battery capacity of 200 kilowatt-hours.
It was unveiled at the Almedalsveckan festival in Visby, Sweden.
“Our vision is to enhance the lives of all people through the delivery of a global, impact-positive supply chain infrastructure,” Einride CEO Robert Falck said in a statement.
The T-pods will start running between Gothenburg and Helsingborg, and the first active system will have a capacity of 2 million pallets per year, the company said without offering a start date.
Testing is scheduled for this year, according to Einride.
The pods will operate autonomously on highways. On local streets, they will be controlled by remote “drivers” located in the company’s driver centers, according to the company, whose plans include developing the charging infrastructure.
Einride has signed contracts for 60% of its capacity, and its goal is an active fleet of 200 T-pods by 2020.
