The modular vehicle is designed to be able to carry commuters, transport goods or collect waste as the front and rear drive modules can be fitted to a bus body, a distribution truck body or a refuse collector.
The NXT, says Scania, is designed to address the imbalance between commercial and passenger transport in cities: goods are delivered during rush hour, when people are also on the move; meanwhile commercial vehicles are often barred from city centres during the night, when people are asleep.
“Several of these technologies have yet to fully mature but for us it’s been important to actually build a concept vehicle to visibly and technically demonstrate ideas of what is within reach,” says Henrik Henriksson, Scania’s President and CEO.
“NXT is designed for 2030 and beyond while incorporating several cutting-edge features that are already available.”
The 8m-long bus module, for example, is built as one composite unit, so reducing weight. The cylindrical cell batteries are sited under the floor, using otherwise dead space as well as contributing to better weight distribution. With the low vehicle weight of less than eight tonnes, the range is said to be 245km.
“We at Scania can’t redraw the entire transport system for cities. What we can do is inspire change and that is the idea behind NXT – to think about transport and vehicles in a different and sustainable way,” adds Henriksson.