GEGI, Bart to Build Autonomous Road/Rail Vehicles
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Genesis Electronics Group, Inc.’s autonomous battery-electric road/rail vehicles (pictured) will be built in partnership with Bart Manufacturing.
Salt Lake City-based tech startup Genesis Electronics Group Inc. (GEGI) on June 12 reported that production will begin this summer on its autonomous road/rail vehicles through a partnership with Bart Manufacturing (Bart).
GEGI has signed a “binding exclusive” agreement with Bart, and said manufacturing will take place at Bart’s Stockton, Calif., facility once a “final joint design” has been completed.
The companies will first produce 10 sets of beta units, which will be field tested to prove out durability, reliability and quality, according to GEGI. The findings, it said, will be applied to the “commercialization program’s lifecycle through 2029, which will cover all stages, including the critical planning and launch phases.”
GEGI, through Its wholly owned subsidiary Glīd, and Bart will build autonomous battery-electric road/rail vehicles called Glīders. The technology is designed to enable “two specially made ‘Glīder’ vehicles to independently and autonomously move under an unaltered, fully loaded semi-trailer, connect to both the kingpin and rear axle, and then lift the trailer,” according to GEGI. “Once the trailer is lifted off the ground, the Glīders, using a uniquely designed wheel system, will be able to access railroad tracks, deploy rail wheels [much like a hi-rail vehicle], and then transport the semi-trailer at speeds of up to 80 mph on battery power. Each Glīder would exit the rails onto a [facility] where a semi-tractor could then pick up the trailer and take it on the final leg of its destination.”
Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR), a 33-mile Class III in Washington state, recently entered a partnership with GEGI to provide rail access to the company’s experimental Glīders. Vancouver, Wash.-based trucking transportation and logistics company Taylor Transport will be a participant in testing. Taylor Transport’s property has a rail spur directly connecting to the PVJR.
In a related development, GEGI on June 6 announced that it is adding rail testing and safety inspection capabilities to its road/rail vehicles.
