Volvo Touts Concept Truck 2020
Only 10 years from now, nose-to-tail long-haul heavy trucks on dedicated freeways could move smoothly, carrying most of our goods and polluting less, the company predicts.
Automakers often roll out concept vehicles that never become production models, tantalizing the buying public with what might be theirs. Sweden’s Volvo Truck Corporation showed its Concept Truck 2020 online June 1, suggesting a more efficient system could be developed in only 10 years to move large volumes of freight quickly across continents.
The concept is nose-to-tail long-haul trucks on dedicated freeways, possibly moving on autopilot but built with comfortable, high-tech features human drivers would love, such as touch-screen dashboards and thin, ventilated backrests on the seats.
Drag and emissions are reduced because the vehicles would travel closely together, said Richard Orell, the company’s design director.
"This will be possible when the transport sector's vision of green corridors becomes reality," he said. "Here, heavy goods vehicles are separated from other traffic, driving in their own lanes, like a railway but without rails."