Competing the the Tesla Semi: Kodiak Robotics To Roll Out Sleek New Autonomous Big Rig

The future of logistics and transportation is increasingly automated, as Kodiak Robotics Inc. announced an electric autonomous semitruck to its fleet next year. It’s an important milestone for the self-driving trucking industry, as firms like Kodiak continue to develop safer and more reliable autonomous vehicle systems.

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The company’s Class 8 Peterbilt truck implementation will conquer new roads in 2024. It comes as California — a key market for Kodiak Robotics — recently banned diesel heavy-duty trucks by 2036, a move driving innovation and electrification. This shift toward electrified vehicles creates an opportunity for first-movers like Kodiak Robotics, especially because the firm offers a vehicle-agnostic autonomous system that’s easily paired with any manufacturer. 

Growth of Autonomous Vehicles & AI

The growth of autonomous vehicles, largely coinciding with the rise of Tesla Inc., has had a profound impact. Tesla’s self driving software forced nearly every traditional car maker to begin implementing similar technology.

In the startups realm, startups like AvaWatz provide autonomous robotics and computer vision solutions for government and commercial customers allowing teams of drones and robots to work together. One of the company’s advanced systems uses drones and computer vision capabilities to sweep airport runways for debris, an essential task previously completed by humans.

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An Ever-Extending Range

Kodiak’s vehicle are ideal for short-haul trips because of the range limitations for heavy electrified trucks that make them currently unsuitable for long-haul distances. Providers like Kodiak Robotics predict considerable improvements in range, similar to the strides seen with consumer electric vehicles' range and performance features. Kodiak Robotics notes there is a significant demand for electrified autonomous vehicles for shorter-range jobs, and demand will grow hand-in-hand with expanded range. 

Trucking firms stand to gain immensely from autonomous truck adoption, as wages and benefits are a considerable cost they can scale down or eliminate. Human drivers possess skill and intuition but also face restrictions on their operating hours and too often drive on limited rest, putting themselves and others at risk. 

The Kodiak Robotics truck boasts several core capabilities that are essential for any autonomous trucking firm that hopes to get its vehicles out on the road:

• Powerful light detection and ranging (Lidar) and radar along with short and long-range cameras can sense objects and provide the vehicle’s computer with distance and proximity information about the various objects.
• Precise driving controls manage the throttle and brakes in response to real-time driving conditions.
• Intelligent machine learning helps the truck plan a route for optimum efficiency and safety.
• Multiple redundancies keep the truck working in the event of a failure and the usage of aerospace-grade materials ensures high reliability. 

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Roadblocks

In California, state legislators are debating a bill that would require a human controller to remain in any autonomous vehicle weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Industry firms will need to establish safety standards and demonstrate the benefits of autonomous drivers to overcome restrictions and ease the public’s hesitation. It is currently illegal to test or deploy autonomous vehicles in California.

Another roadblock for trucking companies is city driving. Compared to long-haul highway trips, navigating a semitruck in a city is challenging. An autonomous vehicle winding through a city to a delivery destination needs to sense and navigate through pedestrians, spot and use caution around construction workers and maneuver through tight spaces filled with cyclists and other vehicles. There is also limited charging infrastructure for long-distance electrified freight vehicles.

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