Scania wins approval to expand route tests of autonomous trucks

The Swedish Transport Agency Transportstyrelsen has given Scania approval to expand the route and range of its autonomous vehicle testing on the nation's roads. In February 2021, Scania was given permission to begin operating three autonomous trucks on a stretch of the E4 highway between the company's main production site in Södertälje and Nyköping, which lies 70 kilometres to the south. The success of that trial has now led to an expansion of the distance and parameters of the tests. The autonomous trucks will be able to drive on all types of roads – local and national – between Södertälje and the southern city of Jönköping, which is nearly 300 kilometres and three-and-a-half hours away. It's a development which has delighted Scania, which has been exploring this technology for the best part of the last decade, including in mining and delivery applications.