Business development area Dubai South and logistics services provider Evocargo are to launch United Arab Emirates' first driverless truck trials.
Evocargo’s unmanned electric logistics vehicle, EVO.1, will navigate Dubai South’s Logistics District from December until February 2023.
A key objective of the trial is to enable Evocargo to modify and redesign EVO.1 specifically for the MENA region.
A remote operator will be on-site in the Logistics District control centre to monitor the EVO.1’s operation, checking sensors and identifying any errors.
Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy is multimodal and encompasses targeting all modes of the public transport fleet, including metro, tram, bus, taxi, marine transport, cable cars and shuttle.
When fully implemented, Dubai South says it will help reduce transportation costs by 44% or $245m.
Mohsen Ahmad, CEO of the Logistics District – Dubai South, said: “Besides improving operational efficiency, our partnership will help scale supply chain operations and achieve sustainability. We are mandated to support the industry and accelerate the UAE’s rapidly advancing logistics sector.”
“This is Evocargo’s first venture into autonomous vehicles in such a global multimodal logistics platform," said Andrey Bolshakov, founding CEO of Evocargo. "This trial is a significant milestone for the company as it unlocks opportunities to expand our products in the strategic Middle Eastern and Asian markets.”
The lifting capacity of the driverless platform is 2 tonnes, and it can accommodate up to six EUR-pallets moving at 25 km/h for up to 200km.
Charging a vehicle for a full day’s operation takes 40 minutes to six hours, depending on the outlet.
