Scania presented an experimental and driverless model, giving flesh and blood to its design vision for the day after tomorrow.
AXL even combines old and new technologies to maneuver in the difficult conditions of the construction industry.
The fact that you don't need a human guide is what gave designers the freedom to make it as futuristic as it gets, as if it came out of the realm of science fiction.
Much lower than trucks of its kind, the AXL has its heart set on this black hood panel with the large Scania logo. Most of its cameras, radars and sensors are there to navigate on its own.
Only when it's time to teach a truck to move on its own, software obviously matters more than hardware, the 7 cameras here, the laser and the radar.
It all comes down to a central computer, which passes the information on to an interactive map so that the truck knows where to go and what obstacles it faces each time.
Although its technical features are currently a seven-seal secret, we know that the AXL wears an internal combustion engine that runs on biofuel, most likely biodiesel.
Scania insists that the AXL is just a concept, only it does not promise to stay in this state for long. The autonomous trucks that work in mines and construction sites are ideal for first launching autonomous driving, since they work in private and confined spaces, performing more or less the same routes.
"We don't have all the answers yet, but through experimental vehicles like the Scania AXL, we are opening up to new lands and continuing to learn with great speed," said Claes Erixon, the company's technical director.
Scania is not alone here, as in 2019 Volvo partnered with Nvidia to build an autonomous truck that is even lower than Scania…
