Swedish truck manufacturer has unveiled its new Einride Pod self-driving freight truck that it plans to bring to the road in 2021. The Einride Pod lacks a windshield and ordinary controls as it features the company’s proprietary autonomous software, which means it can drive itself. To show what this looks like in the real world, the company recently took a prototype around the Top Gear test track where the truck reached a top speed of 80 km/h, the speed limit for most heavy goods vehicles across the European Union. The prototype also completed a lap of the Goodwood Motor Circuit over the weekend.
According to CNBC, the Einride Pod’s battery
pack provides it with a range of 128-177 km. The Swedish truck
maker says it will sell the Pod with four different levels of autonomy. The
first level will be meant exclusively for driving on private roads and could be
used within a corporate facility, for example. The second level can handle
closed facilities and short stints on public roads. Both the first and second
level variants will be available next year and be capped at 29 km/h.
The level 3 and level 4 iterations of the
Pod will allow the vehicle to drive on backroads and quiet main roads, while
the level 4 model will also be fully autonomous on highways and other major
roads. The level 3 model will have a top speed approaching 45 km/h)while the level 4 will be capped at 80 km/h. These variants will
arrive in 2022. A remote operator will be able to take control of the truck if
necessary.
Einride won’t sell the Pod directly to
customers. Instead, buyers will pick a subscription plan that starts at US$ 18,000
per month for a level 1 and US$ 22,500 for a level 4 model.
