Fremont, California-based Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies has revealed the design and specifications of a new purpose-built electric Class 8 truck that’s designed specifically for autonomous driving.
The SD1 includes “full, aerospace-level system redundancy and the lowest drag coefficient of any Class 8 truck on the road, enabled by a complete redesign that removes the human onboard.”
Solo claims the electric SD1 will deliver a range of 500+ miles. Features include: multi-speed tandem e-axles with integrated electric motors that deliver 600 kW total power; active aerodynamics; low-rolling-resistance tires; and exterior lighting that can communicate to pedestrians and other road users.
The truck’s sensor arrangement is designed to allow integration of any autonomous driver system, and features a proprietary software control interface. Solo says she’s trailer-agnostic, is built to integrate with all standard loading docks, and can haul an equivalent weight to legacy Class 8 trucks.
“The demands on leaders across freight, logistics, retail, and other categories can only be met in a sustainable way by the convergence of two tech-enabled opportunities: battery-electric transportation at long-haul range, and autonomy,” said founder and CEO Graham Doorley. “Autonomous systems today won’t work on existing or retrofit platforms at scale. At Solo AVT we’re solving both of these challenges as we develop the SD1 to achieve over 500 miles of range with an autonomous truck from day one.”
Source: Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies