Ikea has teamed up with Kodiak Robotics to test driverless truck deliveries in Texas. Since August, deliveries of Ikea products from its warehouse in Houston to its store in Dallas are being made by trucks equipped with Kodiak Robotics autonomous driving system, as per CNBC.
Ikea Explores How to Make Long-Haul Trips Safer
Kodiak Robotics is a company that's working on self-driving technology for long-haul trucking. It signed a partnership with Ikea for three months, from August 8 to November 8 of this year.
The trial of Kodiak Robotics in delivering Ikea product in Texas is seven days a week for a period of three months. However, according to Engadget, if all goes well, a multi-year deal could be pursued.
During the delivery, the truck has a backup driver behind the wheel. However, the truck is being driven by Kodiak Robotics autonomous driving system.
The backup driver is in charge of picking up the loaded trailer. Likewise, he is in charge of overseeing the delivery. But throughout the 300-mile, one-way journey, the truck runs autonomously.
With this collaboration with Kodiak Robotics, Ikea hopes to better understand how autonomous deliveries can make long-haul trips safer. Moreover, it could give insights on how they could better improve the working conditions of truck drivers.
"Adopting autonomous trucking technology can improve drivers' quality of life by focusing on the local driving jobs most prefer to do. Together [with IKEA] we can enhance safety, improve working conditions for drivers," said Kodiak Robotics' CEO, Don Burnette.
Although the trucks of Kodiak Robotics aren't electric, a previous study by the UC San Diego stated that "autonomous trucks are around 10 percent more efficient than their traditional counterparts."
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Ikea Embraces Other Technological Advances
Even prior to the partnership of Kodiak Robotics and Ikea, the two companies had begun talking about autonomous trucking. In fact, the two companies connected in 2019 to discuss the potential for autonomous trucks in the U.S.
The partnership with Ikea isn't Kodiak Robotics first venture to autonomous driving system. Since 2019, the company has been running autonomous test trucks in Texas. Kodiak Robotics also recently started a new route between Dallas and Oklahoma City.
This year, the company has signed partnerships with companies such as Werner Enterprises and U.S. Express. Kodiak Robotics runs self-driving trucks on routes from Dallas to Lake City, Florida, and Atlanta, respectively.
According to trucking companies the success of the test could lead to significant workforce shifts. One of such is shifting drivers to more local routes instead of long-haul ones.
The test is already showing results in safety and on-time deliveries. The companies said that they will further evaluate fuel savings, a driver's impression of working conditions, road safety, near misses and avoidance of accidents.
The autonomous driving system is not the only technological advances that Ikea embraced over the past few months. For instance, it launched a new AI-powered app in June. The new app can scan rooms using LIDAR.
Moreover, the company installed Electrify America's fast chargers in more than 25 of its stores in the U.S. for EV owners.
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