Technological innovation
Technological innovation is transforming the transport industry and accelerating the shift towards a sustainable transport system.
Research and Innovation initiatives and projects
Creating today’s and tomorrow’s transport solutions
From revolutionary advancements in technology to sustainable energy solutions, our initiatives are at the forefront of innovation, paving the way for a brighter, more sustainable future. Our research and innovation projects are designed to push the boundaries of what’s possible, transforming visionary ideas into pilots and groundbreaking realities. We are committed to fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and cutting-edge technology, driving advancements that shape the future of transportation.
Here are some examples of our initiatives and projects:
The HITS initiative aims to create a sustainable and integrated urban transport system across several different industries, with the aim of developing efficient transport solutions that contribute to cleaner and safer cities. Scania and CLOSER lead this project and are by joined city authorities, property owners, research institutions and other engineering and logistics companies.
Engineering the future: modular skateboard platform for autonomous transport
By looking further ahead, Scania remains at the forefront of innovation and is well-equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The development of this skateboard platform exemplifies the importance of proactively exploring future scenarios and creating physical concepts that accelerate our learning process.
Autonomous transport solutions will place significant demands on vehicles to deliver a complete service. This concept builds on learnings from the NXT project and research into customers’ daily operations. It explores how emerging technologies and creative thinking can meet customer needs in new and effective ways.
The result is an engineered skateboard platform with a strong focus on circularity, uptime, and energy efficiency.
Its chassis architecture is based on a new type of modular thinking: wheel modules with individual motors, gearboxes, axle technology, and well-defined interfaces allow for easy replacement or upgrades. This design enables the vehicle to be used over a longer lifespan while maximizing the efficiency of resource usage through its lightweight and energy-efficient structure.
The concept serves as a testbed for automation in unmanned delivery scenarios. Collaboration across research and Scania’s internal units has been essential in crafting a solution that is not only visionary but also grounded in practical and competitive potential. The project was part of the HITS (Sustainable Integrated Urban Transport) collaboration research project.
Between 2022 and 2026 Scania is coordinating the AllDrive project, funded by the Swedish innovation agency, Vinnova, which looks at the challenges of using autonomous heavy-duty vehicles in all-weather road conditions. The aim is to develop an autonomous vehicle system that is capable of driving safely in a variety of weathers, especially in heavy rain or snow.
How friction-aware autonomous trucks handle winter roads
At Scania, we put our autonomous vehicles to the test in a range of challenging conditions. By simulating real-world scenarios, we ensure that our autonomous vehicles deliver safe, reliable performance, whatever the weather.
AllDrive turns challenging winter conditions into research insight
Heavy-duty transport operates in conditions that are rarely predictable. Road friction changes, weather shifts and gradients, while heavy loads and complex vehicle dynamics affect how a vehicle behaves.
For autonomous heavy vehicles, understanding and responding to these changing conditions is a particularly complex research challenge. The vehicle needs to interpret its surroundings, understand the available grip and adapt its behaviour accordingly.
Understanding these conditions is essential for developing transport systems that are robust, reliable and able to perform in the real world.
That has been the focus of the AllDrive research project, a collaboration between Scania, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Luleå University of Technology and Klimator. From 2022 to 2026, the project brought together expertise in vehicle dynamics, road-condition modelling, sensing, motion planning, motion control and system integration.
The research explored how autonomous heavy vehicles can better understand and adapt to challenging road conditions. Using a Scania autonomous research vehicle, the project studied how available road grip can be estimated and used to support vehicle decision-making.
By combining sensor measurements with road-condition forecasts, the project explored methods for estimating friction and adapting speed, vehicle path, steering and braking to the available grip.
These methods were evaluated through simulations and winter testing at Colmis Proving Grounds in Arjeplog, Sweden. The testing included scenarios such as stopping, cornering, hills, lane changes, following distance and truck-trailer stability.
The work demonstrated the value of taking autonomous vehicle research beyond simulations and controlled environments. Testing with a real research vehicle exposed limitations in algorithms, vehicle models and system integration that are difficult to identify through simulation alone.
It also highlighted the importance of reliable test platforms, high-quality data, stable software interfaces and thorough preparation when working with limited winter test time.
Pedro Lima, Project manager
“What makes AllDrive particularly valuable is how we have brought different areas of expertise together through real-world testing. Working across academia, industry and specialist partners has helped us study problems that are difficult to reproduce in a laboratory. External funding has helped sustain this collaboration over several years. The project has produced new knowledge and strengthened our team and partnerships, giving us a stronger foundation for future research,” says Pedro Lima, AllDrive project manager.
The AllDrive research project generated more than individual technical results. It leaves behind software, interfaces, winter data, vehicle models and test methods that can support further research and development. It has also contributed to publications, theses, patents and knowledge exchange between industry, academia and specialist partners.
While autonomous heavy vehicles provided the research context for AllDrive, the insights are relevant beyond one specific application.
Friction awareness, predictive planning and vehicle-control methods can also contribute knowledge relevant to the continued development of driver-assistance systems and other transport technologies.
For Scania, AllDrive is an example of how research strengthens long-term capability: by exploring difficult questions early, working closely with academic and technology partners, and connecting scientific knowledge to real industrial challenges.
The results and lessons learned were presented at the AllDrive final event at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm on 29 September. The event brought together researchers, engineers, partners and other stakeholders to discuss what the project has contributed and what questions remain for future research.
AllDrive demonstrates the value of studying autonomous transport in some of the conditions that are most difficult to model, test and understand. Through the combination of scientific depth, real-world testing and collaboration, research can generate knowledge that is useful not only for autonomous systems, but also for the broader development of safe and robust transport technologies.
Scania has teamed up with Keolis, Ericsson and KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) among others in the Future 5G Ride project, which aims to develop and test technical conditions for introducing self-driving, autonomous vehicles into mass transit and freight transport on public roads in a safe and secure way.
Scania is one of 20 companies, institutes and universities taking part in TREE (Transition to efficient electrified forestry transport). The project, which runs until November 2026, aims to ensure that 50 percent of the sector’s new trucks are electric by 2030, and is coordinated by Skogforsk, the Swedish forestry research institute, and the network organisation CLOSER, at Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg.
The E-charge project sees 14 different organisations including Scania work together to develop, test and demonstrate battery-electric transport for long-haulage applications. The tests are occurring in real logistics flows in actual traffic on Sweden’s roads, where drivers do a normal 4.5-hour drive, rest and charge their vehicle for 45 minutes and then drive for another 4.5 hours.
In early 2024, Scania, KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) and Scandinavian Transmission Service AB took part in the iReGear project to integrate reused, remanufactured components on its main assembly line in Sweden, in order to produce a new gearbox. Funded by Vinnova, the project consumed 41 percent less material and roughly 35 percent fewer carbon emissions compared with making a brand-new gearbox, proving it is possible to integrate remanufactured components directly into the production lines of new vehicles.
Predictable connectivity for autonomous transport — tested where it matters
Exploring how 5G Standalone can support safe, reliable and sustainable autonomous operations on public roads.
Within the NorthStar innovation framework, Scania is running real-world research together with Ericsson and Telia to understand how advanced 5G capabilities can support autonomous transport. Not in theory, but in live traffic.
Today, regulations require a driver to remain inside the vehicle, but the truck handles the driving itself.
This video takes you inside the WaveEvaluate research project, where autonomous trucks, programmable networks and real operations come together on Swedish public roads.
“Keeping vehicles moving is about predictability and trust. Through this research, we’re exploring how connected and autonomous transport can deliver the uptime, reliability and efficiency that customers need to plan their operations with confidence.” Sara Forsberg, Scania.
What is WaveEvaluate?
WaveEvaluate — a research project within NorthStar
WaveEvaluate is a connectivity research initiative under the NorthStar innovation framework, involving Scania, Ericsson and Telia.
The project explores how 5G Standalone (SA) networks, with features such as QoS prioritisation and network slicing, can enhance autonomous transport operations when vehicles operate in real traffic on public roads.
Rather than lab environments or simulations, WaveEvaluate focuses on learning through real-world deployment, generating insights that help shape future transport systems and digital infrastructure.
Why this research matters
Autonomous transport – predictable connectivity
Autonomous vehicles place new demands on connectivity and for Scania, predictability is key, not only for vehicle behaviour, but for the entire transport system around it.
In WaveEvaluate, we are researching how predictable, prioritised connectivity can support:
- Stable real-time video and sensor data streams
- Continuous communication between vehicles and control systems
- Confident decision-making when the unexpected happens
This is about keeping operations running smoothly, even under changing network conditions.
Real-world testing on public roads
From research question to real traffic
The research is conducted on a 5G-enabled transport corridor along the E4 highway between Södertälje and Nyköping.
Here, Scania’s autonomous trucks operate with safety drivers on public roads, supported by:
- Scania — providing vehicle platforms and autonomous systems
- Telia — delivering a programmable 5G Standalone network
- Ericsson — enabling advanced network capabilities such as slicing and assured performance
By testing in real traffic, the project generates insights that simply cannot be achieved in controlled environments.
Inside the research
Studying connectivity as part of the autonomous ecosystem
In the project, Scania researchers study how continuous, high-quality connectivity supports autonomous operations end to end.
As Tommy Englund, Expert Connectivity at Scania, explains in the video:
“We have a real-time overview of the vehicle and mission progress, always synced and up to date. We’re studying how 5G can improve the continuous connectivity with our backend systems.”
When an autonomous vehicle encounters something unexpected, it moves to a minimal-risk condition and alerts the operations team. Researchers can then access live video, sensor data, system logs and status information to understand the situation and decide on the appropriate action.
The stability of 5G Standalone plays a crucial role in building trust in this information, a key research focus in WaveEvaluate.
Learning today, shaping tomorrow
From research insights to future transport systems
WaveEvaluate is not about launching a finished solution. It is about building knowledge, testing assumptions and understanding how advanced connectivity can support autonomous, connected and sustainable transport over time.
For Scania, the learnings contribute to:
- Increased uptime and operational predictability
- Smarter use of energy and resources
- Reduced unnecessary stops and emissions
- A transport system that customers can plan with confidence
The insights also support broader industry dialogue around digital infrastructure, regulation and cross-industry collaboration.
Collaboration and ecosystem
Progress through partnership
Meaningful progress in autonomous and connected transport requires alignment across manufacturers, network providers and regulators.
Through NorthStar and WaveEvaluate, Scania works closely with Ericsson and Telia to explore what is technically possible today and what needs to evolve for tomorrow.
Together, we are contributing research insights that help move the entire transport ecosystem forward.
Turning research into action
WaveEvaluate shows how real-world research can turn advanced technology into practical learning, one milestone at a time.
This is Scania exploring what’s next, by testing where it matters most: on real roads, in real traffic.
Explore Scania´s autonomous solutions - an important contribution to the transition towards safer, more efficient and sustainable transportation.
Learn more about the NorthStar innovation framework.