Parallel Systems is Building Electric Freight Train Cars

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Parallel Systems is Building Electric Freight Train Cars
27 Jan 2022
6 min read

News Synopsis

Three former engineers of SpaceX have come together to build self-driving battery-electric freight train cars. The trio of CEO Matt Soule and co-founders Ben Stabler and John Howard is developing the freight train cars under their startup, Parallel Systems. The startup has raised $50 million in its Series A funding round.

The CEO Matt Soule has said that freight train cars are energy efficient if compared to trucks. He also said that rails have an operational and economic limit because of their architect and if these limitations are removed the trains will be able to serve more.

The CEO is planning to convert a part of the $700 billion US trucking industry to rail. He also suggests that these freight trains mitigate supply chain crises by enabling low cost and regular movement of goods in and out of ports.     

The system is composed of self-driving electric rail cars that work in pairs to transport standard shipping containers. Each unit can also connect with others or isolate to its destination alone, providing a significant advantage in reducing wait times associated with loading long freight trains.

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