Bosch truck concept fast-forwards a decade

[kscarbel2]

Australasian Transport News (ATN)  /  September 15, 2016

Predicting truck design in 2026, the VisionX concept truck will be on display this month at IAA

Global technology giant Bosch has pulled its future trucking vision from idea to reality, unveiling the VisionX concept truck for the upcoming IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany.

According to Bosch, the truck represents transport in 2026, where drivers have become logistics managers and the internet is king.

"The truckers of the future will go from being drivers to serving as logistics managers," Bosch board member Dr Markus Heyn says.

"The truck of the future will be a 40-ton smart device on wheels."

The Bosch vision sees truck driver’s new job description switch to performing key freight forwarding tasks.

The company says this will include checking transport status via cloud, responding to emails, organising routes, and adjusting them to take on additional cargo.

To accommodate the new profession, Bosch says the future trucks will be fully connected – in some cases featuring automated driving – and run "on highly efficient diesel or even electricity as the situation demands."

"Smart connectivity and automation will enable it to navigate traffic on the freeway itself, mostly without driver intervention," the company envisions.

"This will give drivers time to take care of other tasks, such as planning routes, processing shipping documents, or simply taking a break."

To experience Bosch’s vision for the future, the company has created the VisionX truck which will be on display at the IAA show.

The truck will allow visitors to sit in the front seat and, Bosch says, "watch a highly realistic animated feature that allows them to experience the future of truck driving firsthand."

The 2016 IAA int'l commercial vehicle show begins on September 22 in Hannover, Germany.

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