Einride Pod Is The First Autonomous Electric Freight Truck To Hit Top Gear’s Track

Swedish truck manufacturer has unveiled its new Einride Pod self-driving freight truck that it plans to bring to the road in 2021.

The Einride Pod lacks a windshield and ordinary controls as it features the company’s proprietary autonomous software, which means it can drive itself. To show what this looks like in the real world, the company recently took a prototype around the Top Gear test track where the truck reached a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), the speed limit for most heavy goods vehicles across the European Union. The prototype also completed a lap of the Goodwood Motor Circuit over the weekend.

According to CNBC, the Einride Pod’s battery pack provides it with a range of 80-110 miles (128-177 km).

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The Swedish truck maker says it will sell the Pod with four different levels of autonomy. The first level will be meant exclusively for driving on private roads and could be used within a corporate facility, for example. The second level can handle closed facilities and short stints on public roads. Both the first and second level variants will be available next year and be capped at 18 mph (29 km/h).

The level 3 and level 4 iterations of the Pod will allow the vehicle to drive on backroads and quiet main roads, while the level 4 model will also be fully autonomous on highways and other major roads. The level 3 model will have a top speed approaching 28 mph (45 km/h) while the level 4 will be capped at 50 mph (80 km/h). These variants will arrive in 2022. A remote operator will be able to take control of the truck if necessary.

Einride won’t sell the Pod directly to customers. Instead, buyers will pick a subscription plan that starts at $18,000 per month for a level 1 and $22,500 for a level 4 model.