Scania looks to future with autonomous modular urban vehicle

Scania has used its modular system to develop a driverless, battery-powered concept vehicle that can be used for multiple urban purposes, from ferrying commuters to delivering parcels and collecting refuse.

Named NXT, the vehicle’s front and rear drive modules can be fitted to a bus, distribution or refuse truck body.

The bus module will be displayed at UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Stockholm this month.

Read more

• Daimler turns back on truck platooning but still sees an autonomous future
• The opportunities and challenges of autonomous trucks and the UK platoon trial
• Innovate UK project to develop autonomous driving system for Charge electric trucks

The eight-metre-long module is built as one composite unit to reduce weight and carries the cylindrical cell batteries under the floor to use dead space and improve weight distribution.

NXT weighs less than eight tonnes and has a range of 245km.

Scania chief executive Henrik Henriksson, said NXT is designed “for 2030 and beyond”, adding: “Several of these technologies have yet to fully mature but for us it’s been important to actually build a concept vehicle to visibly and technically demonstrate ideas of what is within reach.

Robert Sjödin, NXT project manager added that NXT will provide “invaluable tangible data in our continued development of electrified autonomous vehicles”.