Scania reveals cabless autonomous truck

Swedish manufacturer Scania has lifted the covers off its latest autonomous heavy vehicle, with the Scania AXL concept truck being the first not fitted with a cab.

Developed for the rigours of mining operations – typically a closed and controlled environment well suited to fully autonomous vehicle pilot programs – the Scania AXL features a modular design, with an 'intelligent front module' replacing what would be a cab in a traditional truck.

While Scania has only released limited technical details of the Scania AXL, it has said it's powered by biofuel, in line with the company's ambitious measures to tackle climate change, reduce emissions and transition to a more sustainable transport industry model.

"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," says Scania's President and CEO, Henrik Henriksson.

"We continue to build and pilot concepts to demonstrate what we can do with the technology that is available today."

Scania has been trialing autonomous vehicles in a number of locations, including here in Australia at a Rio Tinto mining operation in Western Australia.

The race between manufacturers to produce a viable, volume-production autonomous truck is heating up. Brands spanning Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Volvo, and UD Trucks have all rolled out autonomous prototypes that still require a driver to be at the wheel to monitor their operation, but until now only Volvo had gone public with details of a driverless autonomous truck, dubbed 'Vera'.

That vehicle was recently pressed into service, shifting freight within a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Now Scania has a driverless autonomous truck of its own, with the Scania AXL set to be trialed at a TRATON GROUP Innovation Day at the brand's demo centre in Södertälje, also in Sweden, on October 2.

"We already have self-driving trucks in customer operations," said Claes Erixon, Head of Research and Development at Scania.

"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 break new ground and continue to learn at great speed."