Innovation
Developing low-carbon solutions - here and now
The transport industry is changing fast, and to drive the shift towards cleaner, safer and smarter solutions, we need to be able to innovate quickly. By combining our core strengths – such as Scania’s modular platform – with new ways of working, we’re rapidly developing the ideas and technologies that will shape tomorrow’s transport system.
Innovation at Scania is largely focused on advancing low-carbon transport solutions. This involves significant investment in sustainable transport solutions that are viable today, such as efficient powertrains powered by renewable fuels. At the same time, we’re making long-term decisions to develop the autonomous, connected and electrified transport technologies of tomorrow.
Technology
Scania has the transport industry's widest range of vehicles that can run on alternative fuels and we are a technological leader in autonomous and electrified transport solutions.
Transport is experiencing one of the biggest shifts in its history. Our business landscape is more disruptive than ever, with new technologies and business models emerging all the time. At Scania we’re responding to these changes by developing a clear roadmap for the future that strikes the right balance between today’s and tomorrow’s business needs. This involves investing significantly in technology for sustainable transport solutions that are viable today, while also developing the autonomous, electrified and connected transport technologies of tomorrow.
By using our modular approach and working with a wide range of technology partners, we’re able to innovate rapidly, bringing tomorrow’s automated, electrified and connected transport solutions to today's transport. Our pilots – such as our e-highway trials in Germany, Sweden and Italy, and our autonomous concept vehicles – are crucial building blocks, enabling us to explore possibilities, develop our capabilities and demonstrate the potential of new technologies to our customers and partners.
Research
Scania’s research and development organisation develops products, services and solutions that can provide the highest quality, efficiency and profitability for our customers. R&D's innovations are largely focused on advancing low-carbon transport solutions.
In Scania’s research and development we live in the present and the future at the same time. In every project, we consider and evaluate customer needs, changes to our surroundings, legal requirements and where our competitors stand. Each change affects the overall picture. Fuel efficiency is balanced with engine power, and weight is balanced with safety and loading capacity, but quality for our customers is always our overriding priority.
Autonomous, electrified and connected transport solutions are high on the agenda, but so are solutions that use biofuels. Scania provides the largest portfolio of engines on the market that can run on alternatives to fossil fuels, ranging from ethanol trucks and buses to vehicles using liquified or compressed biogas. All of our Euro 5 and Euro 6 engines can run on biodiesel-HVO, while nearly all our vehicles can run on biodiesel-FAME. These sustainable transport solutions - available here and now - are the result of decades of intensive engine research and development work.
Digitalisation
Digital transformation is affecting all parts of society and changing companies and organisations. At Scania, we see the opportunities and we are accelerating our work to take advantage of the digital landscape and all it can offer us.
Along with urbanisation and sustainability, digitalisation is one of the main global trends that impact society and the transport industry. Digitalisation is having a big impact on the ecosystem of sustainable transportation, altering business models within the transport sector as products, production processes and supply chains become more interconnected while emerging technologies drive innovation, creating new risks and opportunities.
At Scania, we apply digital technology to improve our core processes and create new business opportunities. This creates business value for all of Scania’s corporate targets, from people and planet, through customers and partners to our bottom lines of profitability and future growth.
Scania’s Autonomous Transport Solutions
Scania has always been at the forefront of innovative trucking solutions and autonomous transport is no exception. Scania’s Autonomous Transport Solutions system has been developed in cooperation with leading technology suppliers and academic institutions.
Automation will have a revolutionary impact on transport, improving energy efficiency and safety and relieving congestion issues. Autonomous trucks will profoundly change heavy goods transportation in the future, transforming logistical flows and enabling goods to travel for longer distances without stopping. Autonomous public transport will encourage more ride-sharing, with smaller vehicles, greater frequency and more direct lines offering improved convenience and comfort.
In fact, the shift to autonomous transport is already taking place. Trials of autonomous taxis and buses are currently underway, and many logistical centers around the world are already becoming partly or entirely autonomous.
Self-driving trucks are only one element of Scania’s autonomous transport portfolio. Autonomous Transport Solutions is a complete system from Scania that encompasses handling logistics, the assignment of tasks to vehicles, and information sharing between vehicles and infrastructure. Each transport solution is individually tailored to the customer’s needs.
With their in-built intelligence, autonomous trucks can interpret and adapt to their surroundings and carry out pre-determined tasks.
Although the first stage of development is the testing of the systems in industrial arenas such as mines and ports, they will be available for general road use in the near future. Starting in relatively controlled industrial settings gives Scania a unique opportunity to develop the systems thoroughly before they are used in more complex environments.
