Autonomy startup SafeAI is partnering with German industrial titan Siemens to create electric, autonomous heavy trucks for Japanese construction giant Obayashi, Axios is first to report.
Why it matters: Construction and mining companies are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, improve safety and lower costs.
- By electrifying and automating their fleets, they're leading an off-road transportation revolution that's just as important as the transformation of passenger cars.
Details: An Obayashi-owned, 45-ton Caterpillar 725 articulated dump truck will be converted into the world's first electric and autonomous heavy truck, SafeAI CEO Bibhrajit Halder tells Axios.
- The two companies will then work with another partner, AVIA Engineering, to convert the rest of Obayashi's 300-plus trucks over the next three years.
- Thanks to lower operating and maintenance costs, the retrofitted vehicles will cost 15%-30% less to operate over their lifetimes.
Context: SafeAI and Obayashi have been partnering on autonomous trucks since October 2020.
- Now Siemens is adding its electrification expertise, including an autonomous overhead charging system and digital technology to help analyze safety and performance data.
The big picture: Retrofitting existing trucks is seen as a way to fast-track the adoption of sustainable technologies in heavy industries.
- Trucks like these are a big investment for industrial companies, and they work them hard for a decade or two. Only about 10% of the world's currently operating heavy trucks are new.
- With 500 autonomous trucks in operation globally, Caterpillar already has the world's largest fleet of self-driving mining trucks.
- Meanwhile, engine manufacturers like Cummins are developing cleaner alternative powertrains for off-highway equipment.
What they're saying: "You're not going to talk to any construction or mining company that doesn’t have net-zero as part of their 5- to 10-year strategy," SafeAI's Halder tells Axios.
- "Autonomy and electrification literally go hand in hand, like bread and butter," he added. (Autonomy, which requires lots of computing power, is energy intensive.)
- Retrofitting heavy vehicles for autonomy and zero-emissions is "an innovative yet cost-effective solution that will fast-track adoption of sustainable technologies," Zubin Sarkar, head of strategy, business development and marketing at Siemens Commercial Vehicles, said in a statement.
- Between new sales and retrofits — and helped by government subsidies — more than 4 million zero-emissions heavy vehicles could be deployed worldwide by 2030, the companies say.
The bottom line: The future of transportation is autonomous and electric — not just on highways or in cities, but at off-road work sites, too.