Already, a lot of the technology that can create self-driving vehicles is being used in new cars, such as to warn if the vehicle is getting too close to other objects or if the vehicle is driving across lines on the roadway. However, fully autonomous transport on roads requires not only smart technology in the vehicles, but also for society to build the digital infrastructure that will make the movement possible. The existing digital systems need to be able to communicate with each other in cloud-based data solutions to provide the basis for safe transport with a driverless vehicle, and new systems may need to be created. Society also needs to acquire knowledge in order to be able to make demands so that the new technology promotes road safety, reduces environmental impact and increases the capacity of the road network.

“We think that the development towards smart sustainable transport is too slow. By doing a sharp project, we want to show that the technology already exists but that a new mindset is needed to accelerate the transition. Business and environmental gains occur at all levels — in energy, efficiency and logistics and more, says Magnus Sjöström, digitalisation expert at AFRY.

In order to move a truck without a driver, a lot of information is needed that, in addition, must be interconnected.

“A self-driving vehicle is not fundamentally a mobility project but more a matter of digital infrastructure,” continues Magnus Sjöström. Our vision is to create a logistics infrastructure from ax to loaf. We will start by building an infrastructure platform and in parallel with that measure flows in traffic.

The digital infrastructure must be built according to global standards and be able to combine the different technologies that already exist. It is therefore not a question of a new invention, but rather a new interface.

“We need to find the interfaces for how the vehicle will be able to tell what it has with it, what to unload and what it can take with it when it drives back,” says Mats Alexandersson, digitalisation expert at AFRY. In the preliminary study, we will also see how satellite data such as weather monitoring, traffic monitoring and information on roads can contribute. We can also explore how we can make the best use of all the hours of the day. Perhaps it turns out that transport at low speed during the night is the most economically optimal solution.

In connection with the preliminary study, the participants will also investigate, for example, a charging infrastructure with photovoltaic cells and what software development is required for existing logistics, automotive and navigation systems. In addition, the actors aim to create an economic and legal framework, which in the future can be used by other actors in Sweden to contribute to a coherent value chain in the transport system.

In the preliminary study HUB to HUB Hässleholm, Dagab (formerly Bergendahls AB), AFRY, Hässleholm Autoport AB, E.ON Sverige AB participated. The goal is to be able to drive a driverless electric food transport from Bergendahls Food to Hässleholm Autoport and back, an easy distance of one kilometre in an urban environment. About thirty organizations with different approaches are involved to monitor the results of the preliminary study, because it is hoped that the work will lead to a four-year project with significantly more actors. For what if it were possible, for example, to drive driverless transport not only within a city but also between different municipalities — perhaps between the hospitals in Hässleholm and Lund or between countries by driving over the Öresund Bridge?

“For Lund, an integration platform already exists through Future by Lund's project Lund Open Sensing City, where it is possible to link data sources in a digital infrastructure that could make collaboration with such a project possible,” says Anders Trana, project manager for Lund Open Sensing City.

The preliminary study is funded by Vinnova and runs until July 2022. After that, there is hope for a four-year extension.

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