Scania has unveiled its latest cabless, self-driving concept truck featuring a combustion engine powered by renewable biofuel.
The Scania AXL has been developed by a team of experts from different fields and looks to address the growing demand for industries to streamline transport assignments and make them more sustainable.
A new intelligent front module replaces the traditional cab, making it ideal for well-controlled locations such as mines and large closed construction sites, Scania said.
“With the Scania AXL concept truck, we are taking a significant step towards the smart transport systems of the future, where self-driving vehicles will play a natural part,” commented president and chief executive Henrik Henriksson. “We continue to build and pilot concepts to demonstrate what we can do with the technology that is available today.”
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Scania AXL is steered and monitored by an intelligent control environment. In mines, for example, the autonomous operations are facilitated by a logistics system that tells the vehicle how it should perform.
Added Claes Erixon, Scania head of research and development: “We already have self-driving trucks in customer operations. However, so far they have been with room for a safety driver who can intervene if necessary. Scania AXL does not have a cab and that changes the game significantly.
"The development in self-driving vehicles has made great strides in the past years. We still don’t have all the answers, but through concept vehicles like Scania AXL we're breaking new ground and continue to learn at great speed.”
The first live demo of Scania AXL will take place at Traton Group’s Innovation Day on 2 October at Scania’s demo centre in Södertälje.
