Bridgestone invests in U.S. autonomous trucking company

Nashville, Tennessee – Bridgestone Americas has made a minority investment in U.S. autonomous trucking company Kodiak Robotics, it was announced on June 16.
The partnership will see Bridgestone integrate its smart-sensing tire technologies and fleet solutions into Kodiak’s Level 4 autonomous trucks, the tire maker said in a statement.
Companies will also pilot future autonomous and intelligent tire technologies to improve vehicle intelligence and develop âa safer, more efficient and more sustainable future of mobilityâ.
âAutomated vehicles offer a number of benefits to commercial fleet customers and to society, including safer roads with fewer unexpected incidents and up to 20% fuel and efficiency savings,â said said Paolo Ferrari, President and CEO of Bridgestone Americas.
Tire-centric technologies, he continued, are an important part of innovations in mobility.
The investment, according to Ferrari, will allow Bridgestone and Kodiak to work together to co-develop advanced mobility solutions with speed and precision “that will revolutionize commercial trucking.”
Kodiak autonomously moves freight for its customers using its fleet of Level 4 autonomous long-haul trucks in the state of Texas with a security driver on board.
The company plans to deploy driverless trucks over the next few years and will need âfull vehicle intelligenceâ for safety.
Bridgestone plans to provide its cloud-based technologies to help predict tire health and maintenance to improve vehicle safety and efficiency.