Parallel Systems

Parallel Systems tests autonomous rail vehicle technology 

Autonomous rail vehicle company Parallel Systems says it has publicly demonstrated how its rail vehicles connect with each other via bumper to bumper at its test track in Southern California. 

This connection is the one of the first steps toward putting multiple rail vehicles together and creating platoons of up to 50 rail vehicles. Each rail vehicle functions like a rail car: A container sits on two robotlike vehicles with train wheels. Parallel Systems has said the technology would enable rail...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parallel-systems-tests-autonomous-rail-vehicle-technology

Parallel Systems readies 2nd-gen autonomous rail vehicle for test runs

Parallel Systems unveiled Tuesday another second-generation, battery-powered autonomous rail vehicle, which is slated for use in pilot projects both in the U.S. and abroad.

Through this iteration of the autonomous rail vehicle, Los Angeles-based Parallel Systems will be looking at how its autonomous rail vehicle performs with the broader rail network. It said it is developing tools and software so that companies can operate Parallel Systems’ vehicles from their existing dispatching and train...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parallel-systems-readies-2nd-gen-autonomous-rail-vehicle-for-test-runs

G&W short lines want to test autonomous rail vehicle technology

Two Georgia subsidiaries of short line operator Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) are seeking permission from the Federal Railroad Administration to test zero-emissions, autonomous rail vehicle technology developed by Parallel Systems.

The two subsidiaries, Georgia Central Railway (GC) and Heart of Georgia Railroad (HOG), filed a petition with FRA on Thursday. GC spans 211 miles between the Port of Savannah and Macon, Georgia, and it interchanges with eastern U.S. Class I railroads CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gw-short-lines-want-to-test-autonomous-rail-vehicle-technology

Autonomous rail vehicle maker outlines next steps

FreightWaves recently chatted with Matt Soule, co-founder and CEO of Parallel Systems, a company that seeks to build an autonomous rail option. The company’s goal is to develop autonomous rail vehicles that would be deployed in a platoon of rail vehicles. This platoon would not hook up with locomotives or conventional freight trains, although it would utilize the existing rail infrastructure. 

Parallel Systems has made an autonomous rail vehicle, but its goal is to produce multiple vehicle and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/autonomous-rail-car-maker-outlines-next-steps

Parallel Systems’ autonomous rail initiative moving to the next phase

LONG BEACH, Calif. — With testing of its Mark 1 prototype complete, Parallel Systems has turned to building and testing the next iteration of its autonomous rail initiative.

And at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) annual meeting here, Parallel CEO Mark Soule said the startup’s goal is not just to make existing rail capacity autonomous and battery-powered. It is to displace trucks on some short-haul to medium-haul lanes, with a particular focus on staying ahead of gains being...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parallel-systems-autonomous-rail-initiative-moving-to-the-next-phase

Parallel Systems gets $4M grant from DOE

Parallel Systems, a Culver City, California-based company that aims to produce autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles, has received a $4.44 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy initiative (ARPA-E). 

Parallel, founded by former SpaceX engineers in 2020, will use the grant to fund a 29-month advanced testing program that will start in the second quarter of this year. The company says autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles could make...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parallel-systems-gets-4m-grant-from-doe

Autonomous battery-electric rail company closes series A funding round

Parallel Systems closed a series A funding round with $49 million.

Autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles company Parallel Systems has raised $49.55 million in series A funding.

The Culver City, California-based company was founded by three former SpaceX engineers who worked together to “reimagine the railroad system,” the Wednesday release said.

The funding round was led by Anthos Capital. Congruent Ventures, Riot Ventures, Embark Ventures and others also invested.

Parallel’s autonomous...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/autonomous-battery-electric-rail-company-closes-series-a-funding-round