Bridgestone Invests in Kodiak Robotics
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Bridgestone Americas announced it made a minority investment in self-driving truck technology company Kodiak Robotics Inc. The partnership will allow Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone to integrate its smart-sensing tire technologies and fleet solutions into Kodiak’s Level 4 autonomous trucks.
“Advancements in tire-centric technologies are critical to unlocking greater innovation in mobility, while also delivering significant sustainability benefits,” Paolo Ferrari, CEO of Bridgestone Americas, said in a release.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Kodiak noted that with its plans to deploy driverless trucks in the next few years, full vehicle intelligence is a major key to unlocking safe, efficient and sustainable autonomy for the company and its customers.
“Kodiak and Bridgestone will work together to advance self-driving trucking technology, from tires and sensors to predictive maintenance,” said Kodiak co-founder and CEO Don Burnette.
Bridgestone’s suite of cloud-based technologies leverage connected vehicle data to help predict tire health and maintenance, as well as optimize tire lifespan. Additionally, Bridgestone’s vehicle platform technologies provide tire intelligence to vehicle safety and autonomous systems to tune their performance and drive safer outcomes.
Under the investment, Bridgestone’s Chief Technology Officer Nizar Trigui joins Kodiak’s board as an observer. — Transport Topics
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:
