Bugatti's Electric Autonomous 18-wheeler Exists Only in Our Dreams

One of those areas influenced seems to be the cargo and shipping sector. And the designer responsible for what we are seeing is Prathyush Devadas of Wuhan, China. As it turns out Devadas is actually and interior designer, who apparently has a knack for autonomous vehicles too. Before you go on with the text, however, have a nice long look in the gallery or the cover photo, and let a certain detail sink in. You'll know when it does.

If you saw what we see, you too would be excited to have a look at the well-known logo. But this Bugatti Hyper Truck, it would seem, is just a dream, as the auto manufacturer hasn’t stepped up to the autonomous cargo shipping plate. Nonetheless, it’s still a design worth mentioning, as autonomous cargo trucks are already on the scene. Not aware of this yet? Just check out the Einride.

But it’s not just any vehicle. This one is built similarly to an 18-wheeler, with a triple rear axle, so we definitely know it’s meant to carry huge loads. As far as what kind of loads, we don’t know. This vehicle is currently just for the visual spectacle of it all.

For starters, the traditional cab has been replaced with one that seems to be built all together with the trailer. Because there is no room for a human in this area, we can only guess that it houses the ride’s AI or batteries. We can also seem massive air intakes down at the bottom and atop the cab structure.

If it is to be electric, then this sort of component is most essential. But to power something this large you really need a ton of juice, so my guess is that the batteries for this EV are hidden in that black area right between the front axle and the rear ones.

The trailer too has gotten a really nice design. Rather than everything being al squared off like classic truck trailers, here we find rounded edges and long curved lines that give it more of a tanker look. At the rear, we find a hatch that allows access into the trailer for loading. We have seen a similar trailer design with the Tesla 18-wheeler, so it seems that more than just one designer sustains that this is a possible future toward which we’re headed.

Being an autonomous vehicle, we know that a whole bunch of sensors and systems are needed for safe functionality. Radar, motion sensors, and GPS, are just a few usually found on such vehicles, but we have no indication as to where any of the cameras or sensors may be. We actually have no indications of anything we’ve spoken of, but it is nice to dream sometimes.

My own father has been driving 18-wheelers since I can remember him, and if any of them had ever looked this good, or had the Bugatti logo on it, the world would have been a completely different place today. But that's not to say we can’t get that ball rolling now. I’m just not so sure Bugatti will be the automotive giant to do this sort of truck.