Fernride starts driverless port operations in Estonia
Fernride and Hamburg port operator HHLA have partnered since January 2023 to prepare for integration into live port operations. Three Fernride tractors are currently in use at the terminal near Tallinn, with structured roll-out scenarios and standard procedures training on-site personnel for the transition to fully driverless operations.
“Entering the phase of driverless terminal transport marks a good step on the path to being the digital frontrunner and testfield – not just for our collaboration with Fernride, but for the future of terminal operations,” stated Riia Sillave, CEO of HHLA TK Estonia.
The company is the first to receive TÜV SÜD certification for an autonomous terminal tractor under the EU Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC), confirming that its vehicle platform – including vehicle, sensors, computers, and software – meets EU standards for safety, cybersecurity, and system reliability.
However, the autonomous terminal tractor units now in use are not a completely in-house development by Fernride: as part of a strategic partnership, conventional terminal tractor units from Dutch manufacturer Terberg are being equipped with a special hardware kit from Fernride. The two partners have been working together since 2021 and have already started producing the first 100 vehicles with the Fernride hardware kit in 2024.
Headquartered in Munich, Fernride specialises in scalable automation solutions for electric trucks in yard and port logistics. Its technology is based on more than ten years of research at TU Munich and combines autonomy with “human-assisted autonomy,” enabling teleoperators to control sensor- and camera-equipped electric trucks remotely via the mobile network as an intermediate step towards full autonomy.
“This is a defining moment not only for Fernride but for the entire autonomous logistics industry in Europe. From day one, we’ve made safety the foundation of everything we build. Meeting Europe’s most stringent regulatory standards took a remarkable effort, and I’m incredibly proud of our team’s dedication and precision throughout this journey,” said Hendrik Kramer, CEO and co-founder of Fernride. “This certification proves that our technology meets the highest safety benchmarks, not just in theory, but in practice, and brings us one step closer to making autonomous logistics a commercial reality across the EU.”
Fernride was founded in 2019. In 2023, the startup raised 50 million dollars in a Series A round to scale its operations. Investors include DB Schenker, HHLA Next, and Krone. According to the company’s website, it has raised “more than 60M USD in venture funding” in total.
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