July 25, 2018 Vol. 15 No. 15

Let’s start with the somewhat fantastical, namely an autonomous, all-electric logging truck. Yes, that’s not a joke, nor a giant misprint. Honest.

A couple of weeks back, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England of all places (a tony event where you’re more likely to see million-dollar Ferraris and vintage Formula 1 cars), Swedish tech start-up Einride revealed its latest product: the T-log, an autonomous logging truck that incorporates “some off-road capabilities and is designed to navigate forest roads.” That’s how the company describes it, but that notion of being able to navigate the bush is sure to raise a few eyebrows among those who play on that ground routinely. Ground clearance, for one, looks like an issue. Ever seen log-road ruts and mud?

Still, it’s a mighty interesting idea. The truck is actually the second autonomous electric truck from Einride. It’s said to be more powerful than the T-pod revealed last year. Its battery capacity is 300 kWh and it can travel 120 miles on one charge, but carrying capacity is just 16 tons.

“Einride is constantly pushing the boundaries of autonomous and all-electric vehicles in our ambition to lead the transition to a sustainable transportation system,” said Robert Falck, CEO of Einride. “With the T-log, we’ve created a vehicle that can withstand the rigours of a demanding environment. It is uncharted territory for us, but also an enormous market for battery-powered AVs.”

Powered by the Nvidia Drive self-driving platform, the T-log is capable of SAE level 4 self-driving. It has no driver’s cab but can be remote-controlled by a human operator, from hundreds of miles away using Phantom Auto tele-operation safety technology. No driver’s cab enables a smaller vehicle, increased loading capacity, greater flexibility, lower production costs, lower operating costs and optimized energy consumption, allowing the T-log to run solely on batteries, even in difficult environments.

CONNECTED TO INTELLIGENT routing software, providing it with real-time traffic data, the T-log can adjust its route to avoid congestion miles ahead. A fleet of T-logs would be co-ordinated by that routing system, optimizing delivery time, battery life, and energy consumption, Einride says.

“The driver’s cab is what makes trucks expensive to produce, and having a driver in the cabin is what makes them expensive to operate,” Falck added. “Remove the cabin and replace the driver with an operator who can monitor and remote-control several vehicles at once and costs can be reduced significantly. In addition, operating a vehicle from a distance allows for a much better working environment, as has already been demonstrated in industries like mining.”