Einride, the Swedish transport company known for the T-pod self-driving truck that looks like a giant freezer on wheels, is back with another funky/futuristic-looking vehicle. Its new Level 4 autonomous vehicle is called the T-log, and if it looks a bit trippy or off for a logging truck, that’s because it doesn’t have a driver cab at all. It looks like Einride’s T-pod if you cut off the giant freezer and leave its flat nose behind.
T-log is powered by Nvidia’s Drive AI platform, giving it access to real-time traffic data, which it can use to plan routes on the fly and avoid traffic jams. It can also optimize energy use to allow the vehicle to run solely on batteries with a range of 120 miles. In case human intervention is needed, though, a human operator can control the truck remotely, even if they’re hundreds of miles away and only on mobile data.
According to Einride, removing the driver cab means T-log has a greater loading capacity (16 tons) and lower production costs compared to logging trucks of the same size. That means lower operating costs, as well, since there’s no need to employ a human driver. While companies would see that aspect as an advantage, though, we’ll bet that won’t sit well with those who depend on driving trucks for a living. The company is hoping to unleash T-logs on public roads in the US and Europe later this year. If it plays its cards right, both the T-pod and the T-log might hit the highway before 2019.