Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies Debuts the SD1, Its Clean Sheet, Battery-Electric Truck with 500+ Miles of Range
Solo AVT, a leading vehicle hardware company that’s at the forefront of transforming the freight transportation industry, unveiled the design and specifications for the SD1 today. The SD1 is a long-haul, battery-electric Class 8 truck that’s been meticulously designed for autonomous driving. It represents Solo AVT’s innovative approach to addressing the industry’s growing demand for sustainable, efficient, and automated freight solutions. The unveiling of the SD1 marks a significant milestone in the evolution of freight transport, reflecting the company’s commitment to driving the industry forward into a greener, more efficient future.
The SD1 stands as a testament to Solo AVT’s dedication to innovation and sustainability. This Class 8 truck has been engineered from the ground up, boasting full, aerospace-level system redundancy. What makes it truly groundbreaking is the removal of the onboard human component, a redesign that has resulted in the lowest drag coefficient among Class 8 trucks on the road today.
The SD1 is equipped with active aerodynamics and rolls on tires specifically designed to minimize resistance, enhancing its efficiency. Its long-haul, battery-electric powertrain promises a range in excess of 500 miles on a single charge. The truck features exterior lighting to communicate with pedestrians and other road users, as well as a unique sound signature.
Emphasizing serviceability, the SD1 sports a modular design to maximize uptime. It employs multi-speed tandem e-axles with integrated electric motors, ensuring turn around times on par with current trucks. The SD1 is compatible with fast chargers, but it can also utilize existing networks, showcasing its versatility.
The SD1 is trailer-agnostic, meaning it can haul anything, and it’s designed to seamlessly integrate with all standard loading docks. It can carry a weight equivalent to today’s Class 8 trucks. Its sensor arrangement accommodates the easy integration of any autonomous driver system and features a proprietary software control interface, propelling the freight industry firmly into the future.
“The debut of our SD1 design is the next step in our journey towards decarbonizing the freight industry. We look forward to being the step change this massive industry needs as we develop innovative technologies to deliver a battery-electric long-haul Class 8 truck with over 500 miles of range,” said Graham Doorley, Founder and CEO, Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies. “The demands on leaders across freight, logistics, retail, and other categories can only be met in a sustainable way by the convergence of two tech-enabled opportunities: battery-electric transportation at long-haul range and autonomy. Autonomous systems today won’t work on existing or retrofit platforms at scale. At Solo AVT we’re solving both of these challenges as we develop, design, and engineer the SD1 to achieve over 500 miles of range with an autonomous truck from day one.”
