A customizable electric vehicle and a method of transporting a variable load by the customizable electric vehicle. The customizable electric vehicle comprises a pilot cabin, and one or more customizable payload compartments. At least one customizable payload compartment of the one or more customizable payload compartments comprises: a battery system, configured to provide a power to run one or more units of the at least one customizable payload compartment; a motor system, configured to provide a mobility power to the at least one customizable payload compartment; a braking system, configured to provide a motion controlling power to the at least one customizable payload compartment; and a power management system, configured to manage at least one of the battery system, the motor system and the braking system of the at least one customizable payload compartment.

The invention described refers to an equipment and corresponding method that enables side sliding load transfer between one vehicle/structure acting as loader, and another vehicle/structure acting as receptor. Both loaders and receptors can be vehicles or piers using a side sliding loading system that includes lifting and lateral displacement equipment. The great innovation of this system is the appearing of carriages consisting of 2 chassis, one inferior and one superior, both mobile and independent, that are coupled to form a single carriage. One of the equipment developed, automatically auto-load/unload standard containers to/from railway wagons and fixed platforms. This equipment can be loaded directly by the pier crane and move autonomously to the loading areas of railway wagons, trucks or buffer areas, where the containers are organized on leaving the port. When groups of these vehicles lined up parallel to the railway track, loaded on one side and empty on the other, they can load and unload the train quickly and simultaneously.

The present disclosure relates to a system for transporting articles or loads, the system being formed by at least one carriage comprising a platform provided with at least two axles supporting wheels, and a carrying vehicle, wherein the carrying vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle comprising a platform that can be slid underneath one of the carriages, the platform comprising means for lifting the carriage high enough to prevent contact of the wheels with the ground.

A vehicle insert with refrigerated and non refrigerated sections for facilitating product distribution is described which uses a pair of frames defining a vertical member and one or more horizontal members. Several shelves with rollers are attached to the frames. The shelves define a sloped area wherein the lowest point on the shelves is located at a product retrieval point and wherein said insert is wheeled into a vehicle already loaded with product to be delivered.

To decrease the off-load turn-around time of HGVs, the invention involves inter alia a system including vehicle outrigger and landing gear apparatus adapted to be completely separable from a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) vehicle it is intended to be supported on, including a goods supportable frame mountable to a HGV; and a plurality of moveable outrigger arms fitted to the frame, each outrigger arm further including a landing leg fitted thereto, each outrigger arm being moveable from a stowed to a deployed position enabling the frame to be supported on the landing legs in the deployed position; wherein movement of each outrigger arm from its stowed to its deployed position involves both translation and rotation of the arm relative to the frame; and a HGV.

Described herein are cargo handling systems for loading, transporting, and unloading cargo from autonomously delivery devices. In some embodiments, the cargo handling system includes: a system processing unit for controlling operations of the cargo handling system; and one or more modular racks. Each rack includes a rack processing unit, a frame, and one or more moveable arm sets. Further, each rack is configured to store, dock, and undock one or more modular cargo containers according to received signals from the system processing unit. In some embodiments, the system processing unit transmits one of: a docking signal and an undocking signal to dock or undock, respectively, the identified modular cargo container. In some embodiments, the system further includes a shuttle for transporting, at least in part, a modular cargo container in the modular racks.

Lift frames for a vehicle in this disclosure may include a frame body on a top portion of a frame, the frame body extending from a first end to a second end; a lift mechanism moveable with respect to the first end of the frame body, the lift mechanism comprising: a lift body having a first end and a second end, a lifting surface on the first end of the lift body and the second end of the lift body being positioned so as to be movable with respect to the first end of the frame body, wherein the lifting surface is positioned to engage an underside of a cargo container when placed on an upper side of the frame body; and an inflatable air bag having an upper side and a lower side and mounted on the lower side to a platform positioned on the frame beneath the lift body, wherein the inflatable air bag is connected on the upper side thereof to a mounting surface attached to the lift body; and a source of compressed air in fluid communication with the inflatable air bag. Such lift frames may include one or more such lift mechanisms associated with the compressed air source and the lift frames may be used to load and unload cargo containers locked and supported by the lift frames in transit and unlocked and detached from the lift frames when delivered in an easy and safe manner.

A container including vertical side walls and a horizontal bottom wall coupled with the vertical side walls to define an interior volume. At least one vertical side wall includes an inner wall, a spaced apart outer wall, a top rail coupled with the inner wall, a bottom sill coupled with the inner wall, and a plurality of vertical supports coupled with the inner wall and extending between the top rail and the bottom sill. The inner wall has a first surface area and the outer wall portion has a second surface area that is less than the first surface area. A frame is coupled with the inner wall and supports the outer wall and extends between two of the plurality of vertical supports, the top rail, and the bottom sill. A panel is supported by the frame and disposed on the outer wall.

An autonomous vehicle includes an autonomously driven vehicle frame with a retractable pivot mechanism disposed on a platform surface of the vehicle frame. Changeable utility pods are configured to attach to and be removed from the vehicle frame by way of the retractable pivot mechanism onboard the frame, and autonomously change the vehicle from a passenger transport to a logistics transport by changing utility pods. A processor provides autonomous vehicle operations that include extending the retractable pivot mechanism from a retracted position recessed in the platform surface of the vehicle frame to an extended position that engages a utility pod conveyor channel. The retractable pivot mechanism engages a conveyor channel disposed on a mating surface of a utility pod, and conveys the utility pod along the conveyor channel to a centered and laterally-aligned position on the vehicle frame by rotating the pod into position once centered over the pivot mechanism.

A gate assembly comprising of a track comprising a vertical portion and two angular portions on opposing sides of the hopper. A pair of rectangular gates each comprising a longitudinal edge and opposing lateral edges slidingly engaged on the track allows the gates to move between a lowered, closed position and a raised, open position. A hinge combines the longitudinal edge of each of the pair of rectangular gates and allows them to pivot toward and away from each other during closing and opening, respectively.