Volvo Trucks Presents Future Transport Solution With Autonomous Electric Vehicles

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Growing world population and increasing urbanization are leading to significant challenges to solve environmental issues such as congestion, pollution and noise. Rising consumption, the fast growth of e-commerce and the wide-spread shortage of drivers put higher demands on efficient transport solutions.

"The full potential of the transport industry is yet to be seen. Everything suggests that the global need for transportation will continue to significantly increase in the coming decade. If we are to meet this demand in a sustainable and efficient way, we must find new solutions. In order to secure a smoothly functioning goods flow system we also need to exploit existing infrastructure better than currently. The transport system we are developing can be an important complement to today's solutions and can help meet many of the challenges faced by society, transport companies and transport buyers," says Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Trucks.

Volvo Trucks' future transport solution is intended to be used for regular and repetitive tasks characterised by relatively short distances, large volumes of goods and high delivery precision. Transports between logistic hubs are typical examples, but additional use cases can also be applicable.

"Our system can be seen as an extension of the advanced logistics solutions that many industries already apply today. Since we use autonomous vehicles with no exhaust emissions and low noise, their operation can take place at any time of day or night. The solution utilises existing road infrastructure and load carriers, making it easier to recoup costs and allowing for integration with existing operations," explains Mikael Karlsson, Vice President Autonomous Solutions.

The operation is handled by autonomous electric vehicles linked to a cloud service and a transport control centre. The vehicles are equipped with sophisticated systems for autonomous driving. They are designed to locate their current position to within centimetres, monitor in detail and analyse what is happening with other road users, and then respond with high accuracy.

The transport control centre continuously monitors the progress of the transport and keeps an accurate watch of each vehicle's position, the batteries' charge, load content, service requirements and a number of other parameters. As with an industrial production process, speed and progress are tailored to avoid unnecessary waiting and to increase delivery precision. In this way it will be possible to minimise waste in the form of buffer stocks, and increase availability. Vehicles that operate on the same route cooperate to create optimal flow.

In the near future, Volvo Trucks' transport solution will be further developed together with selected customers in prioritized applications.

Facts  

• Volvo Trucks is developing a new type of transport solution for repetitive transports involving high precision between fixed hubs, as a complement to today's solutions.
• The transport solution consists of autonomous, connected, electric vehicles and a transport control centre.
• The vehicles are used as tractor units and are compatible with existing load carriers/trailers.
• The propulsion is entirely electric with zero exhaust emissions and low noise levels. The driveline and battery pack are of the same type that are used in Volvo Trucks' electric trucks.

LINK to website: http://www.volvotrucks.com/vera

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Press images and films are available in the Volvo Trucks image and film gallery at http://images.volvotrucks.com

Volvo Trucks provides complete transport solutions for professional and demanding customers, offering a full range of medium to heavy duty trucks. Customer support is secured via a global network of 2,100 dealers and workshops in more than 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 16 countries across the globe. In 2017, more than 112,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks´ work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care.

For further information, please contact:  
Anders Vilhelmsson
Vice President Corporate Communication & Public Affairs 
Email: anders.vilhelmsson@volvo.com 
Phone: +46-31-3223879
 

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/742986/Volvo_Trucks.jpg )

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