Kodiak Robotics has made history by successfully providing Atlas Energy Solutions with two autonomous trucks. This is the prestigious company’s first commercial introduction. Atlas Energy Solutions, a renowned oilfield logistics provider, received its autonomous trucks in December and promptly initiated driverless operations in Texas’s remote Permian Basin. Atlas has reportedly made 100 deliveries utilizing these self-driving vehicles without having a human driver involved, as per Kodiak’s founder and CEO, Don Burnette.
Burnette revealed to TechCrunch, “For the first time, to our knowledge, it’s the customer, not the AV company, who is owning and operating the driverless vehicle. We believe this to be the model of the future.” Kodiak’s approach, unlike previous models practiced by Aurora Innovation and Waabi, focuses on selling AI Driver-as-a-Solution; their main objective is not to maintain a shipping operation but to sell their autonomous driving technology.
The partnership between Kodiak and Atlas, first announced in July 2024, saw a successful test run involving the delivery of frac sand in the Permian Basin – an off-road environment. While Kodiak continues its pilot freight projects on highways, the Atlas deal plays a vital role in its go-to-market strategy.
The Atlas deployment, despite its unique challenges such as a rapidly changing landscape and no HD map assistance, offers a faster revenue path than highway driving declares Burnette. Kodiak is currently generating revenue from Atlas via an annual subscription that encompasses the cost of modular sensors, self-driving software, and update services.
Burnette adds, “We’ve integrated APIs that enable Atlas to instruct the driverless trucks using their existing tools. But they control the logistics. We just ensure the trucks are operational, safe, and well-maintained.” Given Atlas Energy’s plans to scale driverless trucking through the course of the year, Kodiak has set up an office in Odessa, Texas to facilitate operations.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
