selvdrevne

Selvdrevne is a Norwegian adjective used to describe machinery, equipment, or vehicles that have their own propulsion. It contrasts with devices moved by external forces, such as being pushed, pulled, or operated by another vehicle. The term appears in technical, industrial, and regulatory language and can apply to road vehicles, construction and agricultural equipment, and certain military platforms as well as autonomous or semi‑autonomous robots.

Origin and form: The word is formed from selv- meaning self and dreven, the participle of drive, used here to indicate propulsion provided by the object itself rather than by an external drive source. The form selvdrevne is used in front of plural or definite noun phrases, for example selvdrevne kjøretøy or selvdrevne maskiner.

Applications: In transport, selvdrevne vehicles include most cars, trucks, and tractors, which generate propulsion with their own engines. In industry, mobile machines such as self-propelled lifts, loaders, and other selvdrevne equipment are common. In agriculture, self-propelled harvesters and sprayers are valued for mobility and efficiency. In military contexts, self-propelled artillery and other self-propelled weapons systems combine propulsion and armament on a single platform, enabling movement and combat capability without external traction.

See also: Self-propelled, autonomous machines, propulsion systems.