Mentioned:
Heavy-duty autonomous trucks are now being tested in California. And a publicly traded company is behind it.
What’s happening:
- Kodiak AI (NASDAQ: KDK) has been granted a testing permit from the California DMV to operate their heavy-duty autonomous trucks on public roads with a safety driver on board
Why it matters:
- This is the first time ever that Kodiak AI has been allowed to test their autonomous trucks on public roads in California
Going deeper:
- Kodiak AI has publicly stated that they have begun testing multiple trucks in the Mountain View, California region with a human safety driver on board
- Kodiak AI previously went public through a SPAC transaction with Ares Acquisition Corporation II with a concurrent equity financing round that was notably led by Soros Fund Management and ARK Investments
The intrigue:
- Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) subsidiary Zoox just recently made major waves when they won a temporary federal exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to allow commercial operations of their autonomous vehicles
