Swedish autonomous semi trucks will soon deploy on a highway between Austin and Seguin.
Swedish company Einride has partnered with the SH 130 Concession Company to prepare 41 miles of State Highway 130 between Austin and Seguin, Texas for autonomous freight operations. The toll road is marketed as an alternative to Interstate 35.
“This was sort of a natural step for us to find this ability together with the partner, create this sort of test environment and over time operational environment for our autonomous trucks,” said Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli to KVUE News.
The Swedish company has been operating autonomous trucks in Sweden since 2020, and expanded into the US in 2022. Now, their autonomous trucks are undergoing extensive testing in Central Texas before they are officially deployed as part of actual commercial freight operations.
“The end goal of this is running commercial operations,” Charli said. “But the way there is through this sort of extensive work together and testing to get to that point.”
“The southern section of SH 130 provides a critical route for fleets to move freight reliably through the Central Texas region,” said the SH 130 Concession Company in a statement.
“As we advance toward our goal of establishing the southern section of SH 130 as a nationally recognized route for autonomous freight movement, we see this partnership with Einride as a strategic opportunity to accelerate innovation while still maintaining our strong commitment to safety and reliability.”
“The southern section of SH 130 currently operates at roughly one-third of capacity during peak daytime hours. Autonomous freight testing will be conducted during off-peak periods and focus activity in less-traveled segments of the corridor, further minimizing interaction with routine traffic.”
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