AKRON—Goodyear has struck a deal with Gatik AI Inc., developer of an autonomous middle-mile logistics network in multiple North American markets, to equip Gatik's fleet of Class 3-6 box trucks with "intelligent" Goodyear truck tires.
The deal is part of a multi-year collaboration Goodyear and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Gatik signed recently with a stated goal of advancing the development of mobility solutions for the autonomous B2B short-haul logistics industry.
The collaboration, both companies said, will contribute to safer, more sustainable goods movement while reducing costs for Gatik's customers in the B2B short-haul market nationwide.
Gatik operates fleets of Class 3-6 autonomous box trucks for customers in multiple markets, including Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas in the U.S. and Ontario in Canada. This national collaboration expands service levels and capacity for both organizations across the U.S.
Under the collaboration—which includes an undisclosed investment in Gatik by Goodyear's venture capital fund, Goodyear Ventures, via Gatik's recently announced Series B funding—the companies will work on multiple innovative projects, starting with equipping Gatik's medium-duty fleet with tires equipped with tire intelligence technology powered by Goodyear SightLine suite of tire intelligence solutions.
This deal builds on Goodyear's existing connected tire management products in an effort to improve stopping distances in autonomous commercial vehicles and monitor tire pressure in real time for enhanced safety and reduced wear.
As Gatik commercializes its operations at scale, the use of tire intelligence solutions is expected to help reduce fuel and maintenance costs while increasing operational efficiencies for retailers, e-commerce companies and distributors employing Gatik's autonomous solution.
"By leveraging our advanced tire intelligence solutions, Goodyear can help improve vehicle performance and safety in autonomous transportation," Chris Helsel, Goodyear's senior vice president, global operations and chief technology officer, said.
"The benefits of Goodyear's tire intelligence technology are grounded in enhancing safety, increasing efficiency and reducing costs—principles which are absolutely fundamental to Gatik's mission and success," Arjun Narang, Gatik co-founder and chief technology officer, said.
"This collaboration will enable us to further increase the value we offer our customers across the continent and help define new standards in safety and sustainability for the B2B short-haul sector."
Abhijit Ganguly, managing director, Goodyear Ventures, added:
"Gatik's mission to deliver goods safely and efficiently using autonomous vehicles aligns with our investment strategy, making them a great addition to our portfolio, which already includes key autonomous delivery players in the long-haul and last-mile delivery markets," said
"We believe this investment is a strong strategic fit for Goodyear as we seek to learn more about the implications of autonomous technologies in middle mile delivery and logistics."
Founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry, Gatik has offices in Palo Alto and Toronto. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers such as Walmart Inc. and Loblaws Inc.