To keep up with the rapid speed of electrification and autonomous transportation, a scorecard is required. During this Wednesday’s virtual Autonomous and Electric Vehicles Summit, FreightWaves brought together several of the leading stakeholders in both technologies to share their viewpoints.
The summit begins with a keynote conversation between Amy Davis, president of Cummins Inc.’s (NYSE: CMI) New Power business, and Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves.
Davis outlines what she perceives as a genuine attempt on the part of truck manufacturers and suppliers to be at the front edge of sophisticated technology such as hydrogen fuel cells. Cummins, which is best known for its diesel engines, has built hydrogen and fuel cell expertise on its own and through acquisitions, which might result in hundreds of millions of dollars in hydrogen revenue by the middle of the decade.
The Horse Race for Autonomous Trucking
In fireside talks, four of the six recognized leaders in Level 4 high-autonomy vehicles, as well as one that came before them, all participate.
Torc Robotics, which merged with Daimler Trucks in 2019, believes that a pure-play autonomous vehicle needs to be built from the ground up. CEO Michael Fleming told summit co-host and FreightWaves Detroit Bureau Chief Alan Adler that bolt-on hardware and a software stack aren’t safe enough.
Torc’s autonomous driving attempts began in 2005, long before the levels of automation were defined.
Alex Rodrigues, co-founder and CEO of Embark Trucks, the newest SPAC-sponsored autonomous trucking software developer, tells Adler how being the first to drive autonomously across the country in 2018 sparked more recent innovation like a universal interface compatible with all major truck manufacturers.
Kodiak Robotics, the newest entrant in the autonomous trucking race, is continuing to place a premium on best-in-class software above financial headlines. However, CEO Don Burnette stated that he is continuously looking for technological and financial alliances.
Getting the Laws Right
Software validation, hardware actuation, and legislation are the three major roadblocks to fully autonomous trucks becoming commercially viable. Plus has hired Wiley Deck, a former officer with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as its vice president of government affairs and policy. The summit’s Universal Sponsor is Plus.
Deck discusses the problems of implementing federal laws for autonomy vs the patchwork of state norms in place today with FreightWaves Washington journalist John Gallagher.
TuSimple Holdings (NASDAQ: TSP), the first of the autonomous startups to go public, and manufacturer Navistar International stated a year ago that they will collaborate to develop a Level 4 truck for sale by 2024, in one of the most ambitious endeavors to commercialize autonomous trucking.
Mo Poorsartep, TuSimple’s chief engineer and director of project management, and Srinivas Gowda, Navistar’s vice president of autonomous driving, talk about how access to Navistar’s customers helps TuSimple acquire the feedback it needs to meet their needs.
Energize This
In the case of electrification, Jack Allen, the CEO of Proterra Inc., a growth-stage electric bus, battery pack, and infrastructure provider, explains to Adler why the business selected SPAC over a typical IPO (IPO). Only part of the explanation is a fast injection of hundreds of millions of dollars from blank check investors.
Xos Trucks, a SPAC-based electric chassis manufacturer, focuses on zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles with less cache, such as armored trucks and yard tractors. Dakota Semler, CEO, speaks with Kevin Hill, Executive Publisher of FreightWaves, about the company’s growth.
Ryder System Inc. gains a realistic understanding of how electric trucks will perform on Main Street by exposing short-term rental and leasing customers to them. With FreightWaves senior writer Mark Solomon, Ryan Salvail, Ryder director of advanced truck technology, examines the early comments.
In a conversation with Sebastian Blanco, editor of the FreightWaves Transmission newsletter, Mike Ramsey, vice president and automotive and smart mobility analyst at Gartner Inc., weaves the advancements in mobility together.
Registration is completely free.
The Summit kicks out at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday with a topical live hour with experts in autonomous trucks, including Plus Chief Operating Officer Shawn Kerrigan, on WHAT THE TRUCK?! You may sign up here.
Articles that are related:
Manufacturer of buses and batteries Proterra receives a $640 million settlement from SPAC.
Amazon might buy 20% of Plus in exchange for $150 million in autonomous systems.
Embark Trucks is the newest addition to the SPAC procession of autonomous testing pioneers.
Alan Adler’s FreightWaves articles can be found here.
Pixabay image by Mikes-Photography
One of our external writers wrote the previous article.
It has not been modified and does not represent Benzinga’s perspective./n
