Einride is a Swedish company founded in 2016 to promote more efficient cargo distribution through advanced digital management tools. It also explores ways to degas the world of cargo by using electric vehicles to move cargo containers in cargo terminals. In March, he signed an agreement with Maersk, the largest sea freight company in the world, to employ 300 semi-electric tractors that transport cargo for its North American warehouse, distribution and transportation business.
Einride now says he has received approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin testing his autonomous electric transportation vehicle on U.S. roads. The AET is one of the strangest contraptions seen on any highway. It is basically a driverless pallet mover designed to transport one standard shipping container from point A to point B with no human driver on board. However, there will be a human controller that monitors the operation of the vehicle remotely.
This is the first time a purpose-built autonomous electric truck without a driver on board has received permission to use public roads in the United States. Einride will conduct a test of the AET on public roads in Tennessee later this year in collaboration with GE Appliances. The test program will support GE’s operational flow and demonstrate the Einride Pod’s purpose-built functionality for future commercialization.
The autonomous electric truck has no room for a driver on board, as it was built without a traditional front cabin. It is remotely monitored by a Remote Pod operator, making this pilot a first industry for this new type of vehicle. Einride says it views the operator as “critical in the safe scale of autonomous vehicles by keeping people in the loop and creating jobs to fulfill a future way of shipping.”
The Einride Pod will operate on public roads with mixed traffic while performing actual workflows, including moving goods and coordinating with teams at various pick-up and drop-off warehouses.
“This is a type of vehicle that has never been seen on American roads before and is a major milestone as a turning point for the future of the freight industry. We know the autonomous and electrical technology of our pod will not only revolutionize transportation, but also create thousands of jobs and help America stay competitive, ”said Robert Falck, CEO of Einride. Are EVs.
Bill Good, Vice President of Supply Chain Operations at GE Appliances, adds: “We are creating a more sustainable and efficient supply chain through increased electrification and automation in our manufacturing and distribution operations. We appreciated working with Einride to demonstrate how their Pod technology can help us accelerate the achievement of that goal. ”
The Einride AET may seem like it to most of us other worlds, but it’s the form of things to come. Human drivers need sleeping and eating places, both of which cost money. An autonomous vehicle never sleeps, never reports sick, or asks for the day off to take children to the beach. In theory, one human controller would be able to drive several of these autonomous vehicles at a time, further reducing the total cost to shipping companies. A brave new world of self-driving electric vehicles is breaking out and Einride is at the forefront of the next revolution in trucks.
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