Gruzovikus, the electric self-driving truck that could arrive in a few years

Electric mobility goes beyond moving cars through city centres. It is also being applied to freight transport, at least in conceptual models that anticipate future developments in electric autonomous trucks. This is the case of Gruzovikus, a truck concept designed to anticipate one of these autonomous truck models.

For now they are only images of what it could become, but they are very revealing. The aim is the autonomous operation of these trucks and to do away with the human driver. This would allow reducing the size of the tractor cab and dispensing with the space reserved for the driver. Moreover, the absence of a driver would eliminate the drawbacks of having to stop to rest, which makes it possible to complete the journey without stops.

Driverless cab

The Gruzovikus is designed with a vertical, practically flat cab in which all human presence has been dispensed with. Instead, it features a complete array of sensors, radars and driver-assistance systems that will allow it to move autonomously from the point of origin to the destination without any human intervention.

One of the most notable external features of this cab is an aerodynamic screen that directs air to the sides, keeping the sensors and cameras free of dust. Besides this function, the screen provides greater stability to the whole and allows it to operate more efficiently.

Whether or not this model, designed by the studio Art Lebedv, ever reaches the market, it reflects a trend in truck design: an autonomous mobility concept that other manufacturers such as Isuzu have already tested to create autonomous transport solutions for heavy loads. There is no data on battery packs, motors or autonomous driving systems, only on the aesthetics such autonomous tractors would have. An early glimpse of a nearer future than we think?