Autonomous vehicle startup Gatik and electric vehicle charging network ChargePoint are partnering to develop an “electric ecosystem” for autonomous electric trucks across North America, the companies announced March 28.
The new electric ecosystem will entail an electric vehicle charging network for autonomous electric medium-duty trucks in the United States and Canada. It will also include fleet-specific software that provides telematics intelligence configurable to each customer’s operations, as well as modular charging hardware to minimize upfront costs by reducing required electrical capacity.
“Our partnership with Gatik will help more fleets to realize their e-mobility and decarbonization goals,” Rich Mohr, vice P\president of fleet at ChargePoint, said in a statement. “ChargePoint has proven experience across multiple customer applications and use cases. Together, ChargePoint and Gatik will provide industry-leading infrastructure and technologies for forward-thinking fleets.”
The companies noted that consumer expectations for real-time access to goods has increased faster than even the most confidence predictions, boosting the number of freight vehicles on North American roads. This in turn has made the sustainability of the logistics industry a greater concern to deal with. Gatik sought to help confront this challenge with its first autonomous electric box trucks with Walmart in 2021, vehicles powered by ChargePoint’s charging technology.
“Gatik’s autonomous electric fleet is uniquely positioned to increase efficiency and reliability across the supply chain’s middle mile, and drive sustainability across critical operational metrics for our customers,” Arjun Narang, co-founder and chief technology officer at Gatik, said in a statement. “Our partnership with ChargePoint will ensure that we’re not only meeting intensifying demand for our product offering and service, but offering our customers access to national charging infrastructure and a wealth of technical advantages to support them in meeting their corporate sustainability goals.”
