Einride will co-lead development of an autonomous tracked all-terrain vehicle for a Swedish civil and military preparedness initiative, receiving SEK 7.8 million (approximately $844,000) for its role. The Stockholm-based autonomous freight company announced on May 5 that it will equip the tracked platform with the Einride Driver, its proprietary autonomous drive software, under a three-year program led by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). The vehicle is designed to transport standard EU pallets across rural and off-road terrain.
Highlights
- Three-year project led by VTI with a consortium of approximately 40 public and private partners
- Einride to receive SEK 7.8 million (~$844,000) to integrate the Einride Driver onto the tracked platform
- Dual-use design intended for elderly care logistics in peacetime and military logistics during crises
- Initiative contributes to NATO Science and Technology Organization Exploratory Teams
Project Scope and Consortium
The program is structured around a “dual-use” concept that pairs civilian rural delivery with national defense logistics. Einride said the tracked vehicle could be deployed in peacetime to deliver food and medicine to nursing homes and elderly care facilities in remote areas. During a crisis or conflict, the same platform would shift to military supply roles. A planned demonstration will include autonomous operation on rural roads.
VTI leads the consortium, which includes Swedish Defence University, BAE Systems Bofors AB, Saab AB, Telenor Sweden, Bussgods i Norr AB, and Lund University. The Norwegian Defence University College is providing advisory support. The initiative is positioned as a contribution to the NATO Science and Technology Organization, with Einride researchers participating in NATO Exploratory Teams.
Vehicle-Agnostic Software Strategy
Einride is contributing the Einride Driver, the autonomous stack the company has previously deployed on its cab-less electric trucks in the United States and Europe. Roozbeh Charli, CEO of Einride, framed the project as a proof point for the platform-independent licensing model.
“Einride’s autonomous drive system is vehicle-agnostic and can be deployed across multiple platforms beyond Einride’s own proprietary autonomous cab-less electric trucks,” Charli said. “By participating in this project, we expect to be able to showcase the benefit that the Einride Driver can offer to civil society and national preparedness.”
The company licenses the Einride Driver under a Technology Licensing business model, in which the stack can be installed on new vehicle platforms or retrofitted onto existing fleets. That model sits alongside Einride’s Freight-Capacity-as-a-Service offering, which bundles autonomous and electric trucks with AI optimization software and charging infrastructure.
Industry Context: AV Companies Pursue Defense Adjacencies
The VTI award places Einride in a growing field of commercial autonomous vehicle developers pursuing defense-adjacent contracts. Kodiak Robotics has built a DOD-customized autonomous Ford F-150 for the U.S. Army through the Defense Innovation Unit, and Oshkosh Defense unveiled its Family of Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicles at AUSA 2025. Einride’s project differs in geography and structure — Sweden’s NATO membership and the consortium model bring civil-defense planning, public research institutions, and prime contractors together under a single program rather than through direct procurement.
For Einride, the SEK 7.8 million contract is a small line item relative to the company’s reported approximately $92 million in expected annual recurring revenue from signed customer contracts. The strategic value lies in validating the Einride Driver on a tracked platform — a substantially different vehicle envelope than the company’s highway and yard truck deployments — and in establishing a defense reference customer ahead of the proposed business combination with Legato Merger Corp. III.
Regulatory and Operational Background
Einride said it has received industry-first regulatory permits for autonomous operations in the U.S. and Europe and reports a zero traffic incident safety record across those operations. The company has previously demonstrated autonomous truck operation in Belgium at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and is establishing a Texas autonomous freight testbed along the SH 130 corridor with the SH 130 Concession Company.
Additional information on Einride’s defense and dual-use offering is available on the company’s EAD page.
What to Know
What is Einride’s role in the Swedish resilience project?
Einride will integrate its Einride Driver autonomous software onto a tracked all-terrain vehicle developed under a three-year project led by Sweden’s VTI. The company will receive SEK 7.8 million (approximately $844,000 USD) for its participation. A planned demonstration will include autonomous operation on rural roads.
What does “dual-use” mean in this context?
The tracked vehicle is designed to serve both civilian and military logistics from a single platform. In peacetime it is intended to deliver food and medicine to nursing homes and elderly care facilities in rural areas. During wartime or other crises, the same vehicle would be redirected to military supply missions, supporting Sweden’s civil and military preparedness goals.
Who are the consortium partners?
VTI leads the consortium of roughly 40 public and private partners. Named participants include Einride, Swedish Defence University, BAE Systems Bofors AB, Saab AB, Telenor Sweden, Bussgods i Norr AB, and Lund University. The Norwegian Defence University College is providing advisory support, and the initiative contributes to NATO’s Science and Technology Organization.
How does this fit Einride’s broader business model?
The contract validates Einride’s Technology Licensing business model, under which the Einride Driver can be deployed on third-party vehicle platforms rather than only on the company’s cab-less electric trucks. Einride reports more than 30 enterprise customers across seven countries and approximately $92 million in expected annual recurring revenue from signed contracts.
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