Freight mobility technology company Einride has announced the successful completion of a pilot in which its autonomous, electric vehicle was used on roads in Selmer, Tennessee. This was the first time a fully autonomous EV had been used on US public roads without a safety driver behind the wheel.
Having received the first US approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to operate new vehicles of this type earlier this year, Einride conducted the pilot over a two-week period in collaboration with GE Appliances. The vehicle was used to support real-time workflows and transported products between GE Appliances’ manufacturing facility and warehouse.
GE Appliances’ Selmer-based site was chosen for the pilot because its environment enabled the safe testing of the autonomous vehicle while it was being used to move real-world products.
During the pilot, Einride also partnered with Ericsson, which delivered a private connectivity network for seamless vehicle functionality. This also enabled a remote operator to monitor the vehicle from afar.
“The completion of this pilot is a momentous step in the operations of autonomous heavy-duty road freight in the US,” said Robert Falck, CEO and founder of Einride. “This shows how Einride’s new type of vehicle, one that has reshaped the future of shipping, is here today and unlocking real industry change.”
“In order to lead, you have to think ahead and think differently,” said Harry Chase, senior director of central materials at GE Appliances. “Working with Einride on this pilot on public roads in Tennessee helped us better envision and understand what we need to do differently to be at the forefront of autonomous and EV implementation. At GE Appliances, we believe you need to continuously experiment with new technology in order to learn.”