Volvo recently revealed Vera, an autonomous electric commercial vehicle concept meant to be a more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to existing transport technologies. Unlike other autonomous truck projects designed for long haul operations, Vera is built specifically for making deliveries over shorter distances, essentially on a loop along the same route between various hubs. Volvo hopes that this project will reduce pollution, traffic congestion, and noise levels, but another major goal is to meet growing demand for transport services in general.
How It Works
The heart of Volvo’s Vera program is the transport control centre, which continuously monitors autonomous vehicles connected via the cloud to ensure they are traveling along the correct path and have an adequate battery charge, among other factors. The vehicles have onboard systems that help with positioning so they can be aware of their surroundings; these systems can also analyse the location and behavior of other drivers in order to operate as efficiently and safely as possible.
The transport control centre monitors the activity of all nearby autonomous vehicle to make sure their batteries are charged, they’re on the right route, and more.
