Mile-long, slow-moving diesel trains loaded with cargo chugging slowly across the U.S. could be a thing of the past one day if stealth startup Parallel Systems has its way. The Los Angeles company thinks the future of freight lies in autonomous battery-powered trains that squeeze far more capacity out of existing rail lines...
SpaceX Veterans To Shake Up Freight Rail With Electric, Robotic Trains
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SpaceX Veterans To Shake Up Freight Rail With Electric, Robotic Trains
SpaceX Veterans Aim To Shake Up Freight Rail With Electric, Robotic Trains
- John Ashworth
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Re: SpaceX Veterans To Shake Up Freight Rail With Electric, Robotic Trains
Autonomous Battery-Electric Rail Vehicles
Parallel Systems, a company founded by former SpaceX engineers to reimagine the railroad system, has raised $49.55 million in Series A funds to build autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles that move freight... The rail vehicles are more flexible than traditional trains. Unlike traditional freight trains, Parallel’s platoons do not need to accumulate large quantities of freight to make service economical, which enables a more responsive service and a wider range of routes. This dramatically reduces the waiting times associated with loading trains that are miles long. The system can support service at a range of distances, from across a city to across the country. Parallel’s unique architecture will also bypass congested switching yards, which are historically used to manually sort and reassemble freight onto secondary trains—saving hours, or even days, of transit time. The near continuous flow of containers through terminals results in greater asset utilization, faster delivery times, and higher quality of service...