Inside Scania's autonomous programme: Adam Jenåker on the AI innovations changing transport

15 JANUARY 2026

As a Product Owner in the hub-to-hub part of the autonomous programme, Adam Jenåker has a ringside seat for its remarkable technological progress. He tells us about his excitement for the project, his competitive nature and the adrenaline high of the Red Bull challenge.

When you chat with Adam Jenåker you immediately notice his intense focus and determination, as well as how much he enjoys his job as a Product Owner in the On-Road Value Creation Team, dealing with the hub-to-hub part of the autonomous transport programme.

Adam leads a team of eight people working with systems engineering and safety. He cooperates closely with other product owners while also finding time to work on prototype components to stimulate his technical mind.

Measurement tools support the technical testing carried out as part of the autonomous programme.

"I had some background interest in autonomous before I joined Scania in 2022 after my studies and a short spell in the marine sector, but I hadn't really envisioned myself working here," he says. "I'm glad I joined. I really enjoy autonomous because it's such a fascinating industry and I'm quite a technical person. There's so much happening all the time."

How AI spurs huge leaps forward in autonomous technology

Although he hasn't been on the programme for that long, Adam has already witnessed the profound impact that the rapid development of artificial intelligence has had on autonomous transport technology.

"There's a lot of talk about AI, but when you're actually working with it and you see how it's being used, then it's really something else. The advances we have made with things that were impossible a few years ago, that are now possible, is quite amazing to see."

As an example, Adam explains how autonomous driving systems have changed. Several years ago, there were separate modules split between the perception part taking in all the sensor data, the planning part where an algorithm calculates the drive considering the situation, and the control part of the vehicle to follow what the planner tells it to do.

"Now we are working with an AI that is similar to a human brain, which can take all the sensor data and just output control commands directly. That makes it even safer and quicker," he says.

Adam enjoys problem-solving and hands-on engineering, qualities he brings to his role in the autonomous programme.

An exciting technical job with adrenaline highs

Not only does the work satisfy Adam's passion for technology, it also scratches his competitive itch.

This was never truer during the Red Bull-Scania challenge, where he combined being a systems/test engineer with general problem-solving around vehicle configurations and testing.

"My main role was designing the solution for how the vehicle should be driving and inserting the necessary fail safes. The vehicle could never stop at the point when Matt Jones was doing the jump on his bike. But before we entered the jump area, we needed to be able to slam on the brakes."

"I'm quite a competitive person, so even when it's a struggle and I'm temporarily facing long hours, I still find it fun. It's the sort of situation I thrive in. And, of course, the result was fantastic. I was still feeling the adrenaline for a couple of days after the event - as if we'd come first in a big competition - so it was really exciting," he says.

Looking ahead, Adam is sure that autonomous technology will make a huge difference to the future transport industry, citing its potential to address driver shortages and let manual driving jobs be city-based so drivers won't be away from home for weeks on end. He also says the ability of autonomous logistics trucks to drive more steadily without pause and arrive at their destination in precisely the right time will be better in terms of fuel consumption and sustainability.

Adam's role combines advanced technology with the excitement of tackling complex engineering challenges.

The safety benefits are most convincing of all, and Adam has an interesting anecdote to back that up.

"Earlier this year I met a few people who worked at an insurance company. They were joking and being a bit serious at the same time but they were really concerned about autonomous vehicles, saying to me 'If these vehicles never cause a collision, what are we going to insure?'

"And what we see in our own testing and development is that these vehicles will be a lot safer for our roads because they will never get tired and make errors that are the main causes of accidents. Yes, the main thing people will realise is just how safe and precise these vehicles are."

Haven't seen the challenge that Scania created together with Red Bull yet?

Watch it in the three short clips below, and let Daniel Frylmark, Solutions Manager at TRATON Group R&D, walk you through how it was made possible with the highest precision and safety.