Autonomous Electric Truck Completes Cross-Border Journey

An innovative step in freight transport has been achieved by the Swedish company Einride, which successfully conducted a cross-border delivery using its autonomous electric truck. The vehicle traversed the border between Sweden and Norway at Ørje, delivering packages to its neighboring country.

The autonomous truck from Einride is designed without a driver's cabin or passenger area, meaning there is no human operator onboard. It operates entirely on electricity, utilizing the Einride Driver, a proprietary Autonomous Drive Stack that facilitates its self-driving capabilities. The truck's operations are monitored via a sophisticated software platform known as Control Tower, which is used for fleet management and oversight of autonomous vehicles.

Managing cross-border operations for autonomous vehicles poses significant challenges, including navigating various national regulations such as customs procedures and addressing technical issues like inconsistent traffic signage.

This landmark achievement is part of the EU-funded project MODI, which aims to establish safe autonomous freight transport. The initiative seeks to enhance transportation and logistics efficiency through the implementation of Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) systems. Einride is one of the 34 organizations involved in the project, alongside key partners including Volvo, DAF, Maersk, and public entities such as the city of Hamburg.

Interestingly, the Norwegian Customs Authority, despite Norway not being an EU member, is actively participating in this project. They have expressed a keen interest in simplifying cross-border customs procedures through automation.

To facilitate this process, Einride has integrated its electric trucks into Norway's digital customs system, known as Digitoll. This integration, realized in collaboration with partner company Q-Free, allows for the digital pre-registration of goods, significantly streamlining the customs clearance process at the border.

The autonomous border crossing from Sweden to Norway was initiated by Swedish and Norwegian project partners, including Einride, Statens Vegvesen, Sintef, Q-Free, Trafikverket, and Østfold kommune. The Swedish-Danish logistics company PostNord was also involved, handling the packages that were transported.