Photo: Einride
Autonomous truck startup Einride has announced in a press release today that it has received regulatory approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to operate its cab-less autonomous Pod trucks on U.S. public roads.
Einride is a Swedish freight company specializing in manufacturing electric and autonomous vehicles, such as these Autonomous Electric Transport (AET) trucks that it will begin operating on public roads in Q3 this year.
This is the first time an autonomous, electric truck sans driver gets the green light to operate on public U.S. roads.
As per the release, the Pods will be tested on U.S. roads with mixed traffic to see how it copes in real life situations. This will also include regular operations for this type of vehicles, such as the movement of goods and coordination with workers at various warehouses to make sure loading and unloading operations are carried out seamlessly.
Einride’s Pods are electric trucks that don’t have any space onboard for a driver. They started public road testing in Sweden in 2019 and made their entry in the U.S. in November last year.
The Pods are driverless vehicles allright, but they will still make use of a human operator, as they will be continuously monitored by a public road pilot operated by a Remote Pod Operator.
The first Remote Pod Operator was publicly revealed in March of this year, and since then the company has been training them on Texas roads, thus opening the way for a completely new type of electrified shipping.
GE Appliances, an Einride client, will be the company’s key partner in the initial U.S. pilot program to test and prove the commercialization capabilities of the autonomous Pods.
Einride founder and CEO Robert Falck said, “This is a type of vehicle that has never before been seen on US roads and marks a major milestone as a turning point for the future of the freight industry. We know the autonomous and electric technology of our pod will not only revolutionize transportation but also create thousands of jobs and help America stay competitive.”
The company even has plans to establish a new headquarters in New York.
This is the first time an autonomous, electric truck sans driver gets the green light to operate on public U.S. roads.
As per the release, the Pods will be tested on U.S. roads with mixed traffic to see how it copes in real life situations. This will also include regular operations for this type of vehicles, such as the movement of goods and coordination with workers at various warehouses to make sure loading and unloading operations are carried out seamlessly.
Einride’s Pods are electric trucks that don’t have any space onboard for a driver. They started public road testing in Sweden in 2019 and made their entry in the U.S. in November last year.
The Pods are driverless vehicles allright, but they will still make use of a human operator, as they will be continuously monitored by a public road pilot operated by a Remote Pod Operator.
The first Remote Pod Operator was publicly revealed in March of this year, and since then the company has been training them on Texas roads, thus opening the way for a completely new type of electrified shipping.
GE Appliances, an Einride client, will be the company’s key partner in the initial U.S. pilot program to test and prove the commercialization capabilities of the autonomous Pods.
Einride founder and CEO Robert Falck said, “This is a type of vehicle that has never before been seen on US roads and marks a major milestone as a turning point for the future of the freight industry. We know the autonomous and electric technology of our pod will not only revolutionize transportation but also create thousands of jobs and help America stay competitive.”
The company even has plans to establish a new headquarters in New York.
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