SafeAI, which expertise with autonomous vehicle technology, signed an agreement with Siemens, a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Germany. With this agreement, the company is aiming to co-develop an autonomous, electric fleet for Obayashi, which is a renowned Japanese construction company.
SafeAI and Siemens are planning to opt for a retrofit approach to allow Obayashi to move at a rapid pace with its pre-existing fleet. This collaboration expect to help in taking automated driving to a whole new level into more nooks and crannies where vehicles operate.
Who is SafeAI ?
SafeAI is a prominent developer of Automated Driving System (ADS) based in Santa Clara, California. The company is considered to be an expert in retrofitting heavy equipment for autonomous applications in construction, as well as mining. One of the company officials mentioned that the firm helps equipment owners to change their existing machines into self-propelled robotic assets.
Obayashi and SafeAI had declared an initial collaboration in 2020 by focusing more on retrofitting an articulated dump truck named Caterpillar 725 to accelerate automated load-haul-dump cycles. Till date, the vehicle has completed more than 580 of these cycles and is currently operating in California at a construction site.
About the Agreement between SafeAI and Siemens
Siemens had signed an agreement with SafeAI in 2021 to work together on retrofitting off-road heavy vehicles for connected, zero emission, and autonomy applications. Both companies took this decision backed by the rapid convergence of these three ongoing trends in vehicles. It would enable Siemens to provide its extensive software and hardware expertise, as well as allow SafeAI to bring its anatomy expertise. These companies are aiming to apply their expertise in zero emission powertrains to boost the development of supporting infrastructure.
A fleet of 300 construction trucks right from 45 to 65 tons, mainly operates by Obayashi Corporation were selected for retrofitting earlier this year. These will be retrofitted for zero emissions and autonomy. All three companies had started retrofitting the first vehicle last month. It is anticipate to be ready by the end of 2022. The team is planning to continue scaling across the whole fleet over a period of three years.
Founder and CEO of SafeAI Bibhrajit Halder stated that Siemens has already developed a track record of moving towards on-road electrification. At present, they are aiming to offer these innovative capabilities together at scale to various off-road industries. SafeAI commits to making heavy industries more productive and safer than ever. By teaming up with Siemens, the company will be able to add more sustainable solutions in its portfolio.
The partners have estimated that the overall cost of ownership for electric vehicle retrofitting will be nearly 15-30% lesser than that of the internal combustion engine vehicles. Siemens, on the other hand, is imagining to move towards a more sustainable future for heavy industries by partnering up with Obayashi and SafeAI. There could be as many zero emission heavy vehicles combined with rigorous focus on safety and creative financial models by the end of 2030.
Mayur is a part time journalist with about 2 years experience. While working in the field of healthcare, Mayur found a passion for finding engaging stories. As a contributor to White Pine Tribune, Mayur mostly covers International Politics and Life Sciences Related Stories
