Driverless truck hits the road in Sweden

London, May 16 (IANS) An electric truck without a driver is being tested for the first time on Sweden's roads after the vehicle built by Swedish start-up Einride got permission from the regulator to mix with other traffic within an industrial area.

While the first ride for the cab-less vehicle, "T-pod", on a public road commenced on Wednesday, the permit is valid until December 31, 2020.

The permit applies to a short distance on a public road within an industrial area between a warehouse and a terminal where traffic speeds are typically low, Einride said in a statement.

The truck is supervised remotely by an operator who can take control if necessary, CNN reported.

Equipped with cameras, radars and 3D sensors, which give it 360-degree awareness of its surroundings, the vehicle uses an autonomous driving platform made by NVIDIA and its systems are connected via a 5G network.

The truck can reach speeds of up to 85 kilometres per hour, but is only allowed to drive at 5 km per hour during the trial, said the report.

Einride and leading logistics firm DB Schenker initiated the first installation of the "T-pod" at a DB Schenker facility in Jonk?ping, Sweden in November last year.

"It was the first commercial installation of its kind in the world," Einride said.

The Swedish Transport Agency on March 11 approved Einride's application to expand the pilot to a public road.

Einride claimed that the "T-pod" can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from freight transport in Sweden by up to 60 per cent by 2030.

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