Ike Robotics says it is working with three trucking firms—and 1,000 trucks—to arm the vehicles for autonomous operation.
“The fleets we are working with are among the largest and most sophisticated in the world,” the company posted in its blog. “The agreements we have signed are an entirely new kind of collaboration for our industry, and will ensure that we build a safe, reliable, commercially valuable product — together.”
Ike will work with Ryder, DHL, and NFI, because they are “early adopters of new technologies and have invested heavily in digital tools, electrification, and automation in many parts of their businesses.
“We don’t need to build a big fleet or logistics network to get our product into the market—those networks already exist. And we’ve discovered that they have a lot to teach us.”
The Ike model is that the company focuses on its forte—technology—and the truck fleets bring their logistics expertise to allow for quicker adaptation of automation.
Ike’s product is a Software as a Service (SaaS) subscription to fleets. Truck fleets will buy trucks that are equipped with Ike’s automation system, and will be responsible for operating them as “Powered by Ike.”
Support services are available to ensure that trucks powered by Ike have high uptime and can be used seamlessly in their networks, according to Ike.
Automated trucks powered by Ike will have new sensors, mechanical equipment, computing, and software that allows them to drive on the highway without a driver. Human-driven trucks from our customers’ fleets will move loads to and from the highway, handing off to their automated trucks for the long journey on the interstate.
Source: Ike Robotics
