Summary_Reader Response (Analysis) Draft 2

According to the article, “Drone truck startup Einride unveils new driverless vehicles for autonomous freight hauling” written by Hawkins (2020), a Swedish truck company, Einride, has produced a new vehicle that aims to deliver goods in bulk.

The company has been producing appealing and unique vehicle models since 2016 such as “Cab-less pods” for a German logistics company as well as the “T-log” for transporting large amounts of huge tree logs in 2017. The new “Autonomous Electric Transport (AET)” vehicles have a minimalist, sleek design and are similar to its predecessors of being “cab-less”. The article also states that there are 4 different versions of AETs with each type designed to “suit different operational domains or conditions”. Hawkins states that AET 1 is designed to operate inside a specific region, while AET 2 travels outside of a predefined area. AET 3 is meant to operate under rural conditions and AET 4 is geared to run on highways. 

Einride also does regular testing on the vehicles to ensure it can operate smoothly.  Hawkins also shares the software that Einride are using for “completely driverless driving”. The company claims that the new AET would reduce transportation costs by more than half and reduce very high amounts of CO2 emissions on the environment. The company’s vision for freight haulers to be remote controlled and driverless as well as including “off-roading and heavy-duty cargo” in the future.

Thanks to the advanced autonomous technology, the drone truck will soon be able to take over drivers' jobs and require less manpower. Einride Drone Truck is efficient because not only is it driverless, it is also environment-friendly and improves efficiency to transportation.

Firstly, truck vehicles are a fast growing source of CO2 emissions worldwide. According to Statista Research Department (2021) states that transportation emissions have contributed to “1.76 billion” metric tons of CO2 every year. Hence, it is important for the transportation sector to reduce its emissions, which explains why Einride is implementing AET that are more sustainable to reduce air pollution. Air pollution is a huge factor in hospitalizations and deaths of many. Air pollution has caused many disastrous health effects such as heart disease, lung cancer, etc. According to Akbarian, the Director of Efficient Mobility (2021) states that daily CO2 emissions have dropped by 17% and global emissons are reduced to curb greenhouse gas effects. 

Secondly, Einride is using self-driving software to achieve Level 4 meaning the AET can be truly driverless within a particular environment. According to Falck, founder of Einride (2021) states that the trucks will begin from freight yards then gradually move to public roads and highways. In the US market, Einride’s self driving trucks are popular. Walmart has announced that they have started using AET to make short-distance deliveries for groceries. Hence, AET has brought benefits for multi-chain businesses as it helps the shortage of truck drivers. AET being driverless also makes automobiles easier for everyone, especially elderly, disable and young people who are unable to drive. 

Thirdly, AET brings greater efficiency to the trucking market. AET allows many companies to move more freight. AET could easily travel during off-peak hours, which would help in reducing traffic congestion. AET also does not require taking breaks like human truckers do, avoiding safety issues like truck accidents. According to Rosen, Hollywood Injury Law Firm (2021) states that trucks are involved in thousands of crashes, resulting in many injuries and death. According to National Safety Council (2021), over 5000 large trucks were involved in a fatal crash and 118,000 truck drivers got into injury.

Hence, AET could improve efficiency for transporting goods as well as reducing the number of injuries. 

However, “autonomous technology” has brought fear to people in the workforce because many drivers are at the risk of being jobless. The prospect of a jobless economy, in which drivers are taken over by artificially intelligent computers, frightens most people, especially for autonomous trucks and other vehicles may be the catalyst for this future. According to Kitroeff, Los Angeles Times (2016) states that acceleration in automation could replace “1.7 million American truckers” in the next decade. 

In conclusion, driverless vehicles are on their approach to becoming a reality, but Einride wants to take things a step further by developing driverless trucks. Its initiatives have the potential to permanently alter freight carrying on the road which bring many benefits such as reducing the CO2 emissions, manpower required and accidents that may occur with human drivers. 

Hawkins, A. J. (2020, October 8). Drone truck startup einride unveils new driverless vehicles for autonomous freight hauling. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/8/21506125/einride-self-driving-truck-pod-aet-reveal 

Topic: Transportation emissions worldwide. Statista. (2021). https://www.statista.com/topics/7476/transportation-emissions-worldwide/.

Akbarian M.(2020, june 5) The future of electric transport: intelligence https://www.einride.tech/insights/driving-change-with-intelligent-solutions

Kay, G. (2021, November 11) Take a look at the cab-less driverless 'Pods' that could one day turn truck driving into a desk job. https://www.businessinsider.com/cab-less-driverless-self-driving-trucks-pictures-desk-job-2021-11

ROSEN, R. (2021). The Pros and Cons of Self-Driving or Autonomous Trucks. https://www.rosenohrlaw.com/blog/benefits-and-drawbacks-self-driving-trucks/

Injury Facts. 2021. Large Trucks - Injury Facts. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/road-users/large-trucks/