COLUMBUS, Indiana—Short-haul autonomous trucking company Gatik is partnering with Cummins to integrate its advanced powertrain solution into Gatik’s fleet of medium-duty trucks. Cummins’ advanced software suite will integrate its powertrain solution to enable drive-by-wire for Gatik’s Class 6 Isuzu FTR fleet with the Cummins B6.7 engine.
Cummins delivers powertrain solutions that provide top performance and fuel economy through hardware and software integration. Gatik launched driverless middle mile freight delivery for Walmart earlier this decade.
See also: Gatik touts driverless success along the middle mile in Arkansas
“Gatik and Cummins will be working together to integrate a new software interface built by Cummins to allow Gatik's autonomous driving software to communicate directly with Cummins engines,” Arjun Narang, Gatik CTO and co-founder, told FleetOwner. “This direct integration will allow safer and more performant operation for Gatik AVs built on the Isuzu FTR fleet, versus more traditional engine control through the vehicle.”
Gatik’s commercial-grade autonomous technology integrated with Cummins’ powertrain increases functional safety and enhances the reliability of the autonomous system while improving fuel efficiency, according to Narang. He said the technology offers "superior" vehicle performance on Gatik’s short-haul, B2B delivery routes. In addition, Cummins will work closely with Gatik’s engineering team to provide additional technical expertise.
“Cummins is excited to integrate its powertrain solution with Gatik’s automated driving system,” said Michael Taylor, Cummins GM of global powertrain integration. “Cummins powers nearly every type of application globally, so integrating our powertrain with automated driving systems like Gatik’s will allow our customers to choose the newest technologies to meet their needs.”
Gatik’s driverless operations entail repeated, daily delivery runs on public roads. Narang said this unlocks autonomous transport advantages—such as faster ecommerce order fulfillment, asset utilization, and enhanced road safety. After 18 months of testing with a safety driver on board, Gatik and Walmart got permission from Arkansas officials to remove the safety driver from the cab.
“As we commercialize our product offerings at scale across North America, ensuring that we integrate our technology with the world’s leading Tier 1 companies is critical to meeting intensifying demand for our solution safely and quickly,” Narang explained. “Cummins’ technological leadership in developing the world’s leading powertrains for over 100 years and deep commitment to developing customer-centric solutions for the future of logistics mean the tangible benefits of our work together will be felt immediately across our customer base.”
Narang said Gatik’s commercially deployed autonomous fleet is one of the largest in North America. Along with Walmart, it operates for customers in markets in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Ontario, Canada. In the past year, Gatik announced its partnership with Isuzu to implement OEM-grade redundancies for medium-duty trucks, a collaboration with Goodyear to equip its fleet with tire intelligence technology to improve stopping distances and monitor tire pressure in real-time for enhanced safety, and a strategic partnership with Ryder to leverage Ryder’s national leasing, servicing and fleet maintenance expertise.
Gatik’s collaboration with Cummins represents a key component of Gatik’s platform-agnostic commercialization strategy, Narang said. It will enable Gatik to integrate its autonomous driving system with multiple OEMs, and across a range of vehicle platforms powered by Cummins, further refining a safe, unique, and efficient autonomous solution for the commercial middle mile market.
