Swedish manufacturer Scania has announced a partnership with logistics company Havi Supply Chain to pilot a fully autonomous truck for the transportation of commercial goods on public roads.
The trial will aim to transport materials for a three-hour journey of about 300km (186 miles) between two logistics hubs, in conventional traffic conditions, which the companies are describing as a European first.
The truck is intended to drive between Södertälje and Jönköping, which forms part of Havi’s logistics journey, with the first and last mile being completed by manually driven vehicles.
The pilot will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the autonomous technology and its role in the wider logistics flow for both firms’ operations.
“We know the transport system will change in the coming years and that the industry faces challenges of driver shortages and diminishing margins, so the transformation process towards autonomous technology needs to start happening right away,” says Robert Melin Mori, the project manager in charge of this project from Scania.
“We need to learn about autonomous operations now so that we are ready as soon as the technology is ready.
“We believe this pilot will be a hugely important stepping stone.”
Havi and Scania claim to have already established a strong track record of cooperation in several electrified transport initiatives as part of shared decarbonisation ambitions.
