Kodiak Robotics is adding an electric, autonomous semi truck to its fleet next year

Self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics plans to introduce an electric autonomous Class 8 truck to its fleet in 2024. The news comes as California, one of the states Kodiak hopes to do business in, recently voted to ban the sale of new diesel heavy duty trucks by 2036 and will require that all trucks be zero emissions by 2042. 

With the exception of Swedish company Einride and its electric autonomous pods, most autonomous trucking companies are still testing and deploying diesel engine trucks. That’s largely because the electric trucking industry isn’t yet well developed, as evidenced by the less than desirable ranges on the electric semis coming to market today. Kodiak’s Peterbilt Model 579EV, for example, only has a range of 150 miles, which wouldn’t cover even a one-way trip on most of the routes Kodiak drives. 

Kodiak says while it believes zero-emissions vehicles have a future across America, the intended use for this vehicle is in California. California has long been a champion of greener vehicles, but the same cannot be said for the state’s willingness to embrace autonomous trucking technology.