Volvo Group creates autonomous transport solutions business

The Volvo Group has announced a new business area, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, that will accelerate the development, commercialisation and sales of autonomous transport solutions. This will enable the Volvo Group to meet a growing demand and to offer the best possible solutions to customers in such segments as mining, ports and transport between logistics centres.

According to Volvo, global developments are characterised by higher demand for transportation, increasingly congested roads and major environmental challenges, and the industry needs to provide transport solutions that are safer, have a lower environmental impact and are more efficient.

Autonomous transport solutions, based on self-driving and connectivity technologies, are well-suited to applications where there is a need to move large volumes of goods and material on predefined routes and in repetitive flows, says the company. In such situations, autonomous transport solutions can create value for Volvo’s customers by contributing to improved flexibility, delivery precision and productivity.

“We have experienced a significant increase in inquiries from customers,” said Martin Lundstedt, President and CEO. “With the Volvo Group’s wide range of offerings and broad experience of different applications, we have a unique opportunity to offer solutions that meet their specific needs. It is a logical next step for us to gather expertise and resources in a new business area with profit and loss responsibility to take autonomous transport solutions to the next level.”

The Volvo Group has already demonstrated a number of different autonomous transport solutions.

In the Electric Site project, material handling in a quarry was automated and electrified. The result was a safer working environment and a reduction of operator costs by 40% and of carbon dioxide emissions by 98%.

At the Brønnøy Kalk mine in Norway, autonomous Volvo FH trucks will be used in commercial operation to transport limestone along a 5 km stretch.

Another pioneering initiative is the self-driving, connected and electric vehicle Vera. In its first assignment Vera will form part of an integrated solution to transport goods from a logistics centre to a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden.