The Volvo Group demonstrated a new self-driving truck, designed to travel autonomously from one hub to another, at the Volvo Group Innovation Summit in Beijing, China.

The latest autonomous concept truck was designed for hub-to-hub transportations in semi-confined areas such as harbors and dedicated lanes on highways. The company previously showed similar autonomous concepts for confined areas such as mines, quarries, and sugarcane fields, and this new solution takes those ideas into an over-the-road setting.

The truck is based on the company’s existing FH platform and navigates completely autonomously, using lidar and GPS to continuously scan its surroundings and check its location. It can navigate around fixed and movable obstacles and gather data to optimize its route, traffic safety, and fuel consumption. The truck requires no manual supervision and is part of a total transport solution that controls the entire delivery process.

“Although this technology may be years away from production, it will undoubtedly influence our future offering and has the potential to develop smart societies for the future,” said Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO at Volvo Group. “No matter what type of solution we develop, safety is always our primary concern and this applies to all our self-driving projects.”