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Einride partners with SH 130 Concession to create autonomous freight testbed. March 19, 2026 Einride, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SH 130 Concession Company, which will allow State Highway 130, the highway between Austin and San Antonio, to be designated as a preferred corridor in Texas for autonomous freight operations. This is the first time the SH 130 Concession Company is partnering with an autonomous trucking company. This is part of the plan to develop an infrastructure-enabled test environment for Einride's specially designed cabless autonomous freight vehicles. The project aims to concentrate on safety validation on SH 130s Segments 5 and 6, while also planning to use adjacent frontage roads for the first- and last-mile logistics that will not only support but also enhance energy efficiency. "This partnership with SH 130 Concession Company marks an important step forward in proving the scalability and economic benefits of electric and autonomous freight," said Roozbeh Charli, Chief Executive Officer of Einride. "By establishing this testbed, Einride is further cementing Austin, Texas as a hub for our American autonomous freight operations, collaborating with infrastructure operators and regulators to scale safe, performance-based deployments." Building a Smart Freight Ecosystem Freight-Capacity-as-a-Service is a comprehensive model by Einride, which brings together electric and driverless trucks, AI-enhanced software for optimization, and charging facilities into a single logistical solution. The company has one of the largest electric heavy-duty vehicle fleets in the world that they run for their enterprise customers in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Besides, their driverless vehicles are also a part of their everyday operations. The SH 130 corridor, which is managed by SH 130 Concession Company, covers the 41-mile long part of the toll road in the south and provides an alternative route to Interstate 35, which is one of the main freight corridors in North America, stretching from Mexico to Canada. Considering the current capacity and location in central Texas, this corridor is in an excellent position to support the development of autonomous freight in the future. Advancing Infrastructure for Autonomous Logistics As part of the partnership, the two entities will work together to conceptualize a future generation of rest stop facilities that will be designed to accommodate electric autonomous trucks. Furthermore, the partnership will also look to integrate Saga AI, the intelligent logistics platform developed by Einride, into the SH 130 smart corridor's technology ecosystem. This will further improve the efficiency of the corridor as a smart freight route. "We're proud to partner with Einride to advance our goal to make SH 130 the premier smart freight corridor in the state," said Ananth Prasad, CEO of SH 130 Concession Company. "We're actively working with freight customers, industry partners and TxDOT to implement new technology solutions and by aligning digital infrastructure, connectivity readiness, and future charging capacity, SH 130 Concession Company is advancing its ambition to establish the roadway as a nationally recognized route for autonomous freight movement."

Texas toll road will be test ground for autonomous big rigs. Texas 130, a toll road linking Austin and San Antonio, will serve as a corridor for testing cab-less freight haulers. The firms involved characterized the highway as a strategic route for the region. March 18, 2026 - Andrea Guzmán, San Antonio Express-News (TNS) - Self-driving truck firm Einride will soon begin using a Central Texas highway as a test bed for its purpose-built, cabless autonomous freight vehicles. Einride is partnering with SH 130 Concession Co. to position the Texas 130 toll road, which connects Austin and San Antonio, as a corridor for autonomous freight operations. Founded in 2016, Einride has more than 25 enterprise customers across North America, Europe and the Middle East. Based in Sweden with U.S. headquarters in Austin, it boasts a proprietary AI platform with a zero-traffic incident safety record. "This partnership with SH 130 Concession Co. marks an important step forward in proving the scalability and economic benefits of electric and autonomous freight," said Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli. "By establishing this test bed, Einride is further cementing Austin, Texas, as a hub for our American autonomous freight operations, collaborating with infrastructure operators and regulators to scale safe, performance-based deployments." In an announcement Tuesday, Einride said it will test autonomous highway operations on Segments 5 and 6 of Texas 130, which start at the Texas 45 SE split south of Austin near Mustang Ridge and extend through Seguin to I-10. The Texas Department of Transportation operates the northern segments of Texas 130. Its tests arrive in a complex regulatory environment, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Congress considering how to address the rapidly increasing number of autonomous vehicles on city streets and highways. But Einride and SH 130 Concession Co. say their partnership provides a strategic route for fleets to move freight reliably through the region. Einride, which had a fleet of about 200 autonomous and electric trucks as of late 2025, says it operates one of the world's largest electric heavy-duty fleets. Its autonomous trucks are in daily operation with customers in both the U.S and in Europe. Some of its work has included PepsiCo's Frito-Lay food distribution near Memphis and transport of finished goods between GE Appliances' manufacturing facility and warehouse in Selmer, Tenn. Einride's new partnership with the private company that operates and maintains the southern section of the state-owned highway could be a higher-stakes test of its autonomous tech. SH 130 Concession recorded more than 12.6 million transactions on the roadway in 2023 and boasts itself as a safe and fast alternative to the congested Interstate 35 route through the region. The segment of the toll road Einride will use to test its vehicles has the nation's highest speed limit at 85 mph. To charge its vehicles, Einride and SH 130 Concession say they are drafting a blueprint for a next-generation rest stop. The stop will manage the autonomous trucks with high-capacity EV charging and specialized docking requirements. The partners are also exploring the feasibility of integrating Einride's optimization software, known as Saga AI, with SH 130 Concession's digital ecosystem to handle data sharing and traffic management. SH 130 Concession Co. CEO Ananth Prasad said the partnership supports the company's push for new transportation technology in Texas. "We're actively working with freight customers, industry partners and TxDOT to implement new technology solutions," he said in a statement. "And by aligning digital infrastructure, connectivity readiness, and future charging capacity, SH 130 Concession Company is advancing its ambition to establish the roadway as a nationally recognized route for autonomous freight movement."