Autonomous vehicle company Locomation Inc. announced it entered into a new collaborative partnership agreement with Columbus, Indiana-based powertrain manufacture Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) to incorporate new technologies into truck engines to improve autonomous capabilities.
The collaboration is the second significant partnership for the Pittsburgh-based AV company in recent weeks following its announcement on Oct. 1 that it will begin working with Aon to develop a risk management plan for autonomous trucking.
According to Cetin Mericli, Locomation’s co-founder and CEO, the collaboration will allow the two companies to work together to ensure Locomation's autonomous driving systems are better integrated with Cummins' powertrain systems. The collaboration also allows for Cummins' engines, which will be installed in future trucks from Locomation, to be more fuel-efficient as well.
"It's not just our autonomous driving system, we'll be able to use (Cummins') engine properly, we will be able to access the detailed parameters of their engine so that the resulting autonomous driving will be even more efficient in terms of fuel consumption," Mericli said. "The actual information exchanges go both ways. In order to properly integrate our technology, we also are getting some support from Cummins … both sides are learning better."
Mericli said that with Cummins being "a major name in the commercial vehicle industry," working together with the manufacturer on making Locomation’s autonomous trucking technology more efficient will allow carriers that use trucks equipped with Locomation's technology to reduce their operating costs and eliminate more than 60 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually for each truck.
"The idea here is that technology can actually drive the truck way smoother than other people can do because the technology has access to more information and is able to crank more numbers and optimize for smoother outcomes faster than a human," Mericli said. "But in order to do so, you need to be communicating with the truck, different parts of the truck engine included, in detail."
The new partnership will have Locomation’s proprietary autonomy software integrated into Cummins' Automated Driving System (ADS) technologies, which are found in Cummins' powertrain systems. That integration will then result in increased fuel efficiencies and reduced carbon emissions for future trucks equipped with the newer and more optimized engines Cummins makes with Locomation's tech, which could result in reduced fuel consumption by 10% per truck.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Locomation to develop and test the Cummins powertrain control system integration with their autonomous trucking technology,” J. Michael Taylor, Cummins general manager of global powertrain integration, said in a statement. “This collaboration will provide Locomation with access to the resources required to commercialize its autonomous products using Cummins’ proprietary systems and components and provide Cummins with valuable feedback for future product improvements.”
Locomation said it anticipates the deployment of its first product line, Autonomous Relay Convoy, in late 2022.
