NX NextMotion – The future for long-haul commercial vehicles
In Germany, the road transport capacity is steadily increasing. According to the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), freight transport volume is expected to rise by about 30 percent by 2030. Simultaneously, the industry is facing a severe driver shortage. Drive-by-wire technologies like Arnold NextG's NX NextMotion are becoming increasingly important for long-haul commercial vehicles. They enable autonomous solutions such as platooning, where trucks drive in tight convoys, saving energy and improving traffic flow. Drive-by-wire allows trucks to be driven safely and efficiently, enabling continuous vehicle operation around the clock. This ensures that transport demands can be reliably met in the future.
NX NextMotion enables platooning for trucks
In Germany, the road transport capacity is continuously growing. According to the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the freight transport volume is expected to increase by about 30% by 2030. At the same time, the driver shortage is intensifying, presenting significant challenges for the logistics industry. Drive-by-wire technology is becoming increasingly important for long-haul commercial vehicles.
Drive-by-wire replaces mechanical and hydraulic controls with electronic systems, enabling autonomous solutions that can compensate for the driver shortage. A particularly promising approach is platooning. In platooning, multiple trucks drive in tight convoys, with the lead vehicle setting the speed and direction. The following vehicles react in real-time to the movements of the lead vehicle, minimizing the distance between them and optimizing the use of the slipstream. This results in significant fuel savings and a reduction in CO₂ emissions.
Platooning makes vehicles safer and more efficient by closely networking them. Electronic systems respond faster and more precisely than human drivers, reducing accident risks and improving traffic flow. Another advantage of drive-by-wire technology is the continuous use of vehicles. Since autonomous trucks do not require rest periods, they can operate around the clock, significantly increasing the efficiency of logistics. This is especially important at a time when the demand for transport services is continuously growing, but the driver shortage is limiting capacities.
Our flexible modular system enables the implementation of any drive, steer or brake-by-wire requirements, right through to revolutionary system-on-chip (SoC) solutions.
