Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2020 - 23

Startups emerge
as accelerators

Autonomous trucks will help "future-proof" the freight delivery
industry, with the support of startups like Kodiak Robotics.

Newcomers are helping commercial-vehicle OEMs and Tier 1s speed up
development processes.

KODIAK ROBOTICS

peed has become a more critical factor as the
commercial vehicle (CV) industry races to
meet global market demands and stricter
emissions regulations. The need for quicker
decision-making and action is enabling startup companies to play a growing role, helping established
manufacturers improve operations, even during this
era of pandemic-driven isolation.
Several speakers at the 2020 SAE COMVEC Digital
Summit agreed that startups are gaining a foothold
throughout the industry, supplying technologies and
products that range from systems and software
through full vehicles. For most startups, the ability to
devise ways to augment development efforts by established companies is a critical step. Technologies like
software and artificial intelligence are being used in
new areas like electrified powertrains and autonomous
operation, opening a space for young companies in an
industry that has shown a longstanding desire to work
mainly with well-established companies.
In multiple sessions that addressed the role of startups, newcomers and representatives from major CV
suppliers noted that young companies need to focus
on their product while also learning how to integrate
their hardware and/or software with technologies of
Tier 1s and OEMs. Additionally, many panelists at the
virtual summit stressed increased speed as a primary
benefit of dealing with startups.

TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

by Terry Costlow

"I'm not always focused specifically on technology; a lot of my focus is on how they can help us go faster," said Stephan Tarnutzer,
president of AVL. "The whole world is focused on how to get products to market faster. If I'm not able to work faster when my customers want to go faster, I may not have a customer."

Getting off the ground
Swiftness was front and center in presentations by the University of
Waterloo and the University of Wisconsin. They are among many
universities that have established accelerators that aim to help entrepreneurs speed up their efforts. Accelerators provide a range of services such as access to mentors, office space and development tools,
to name a few. That saves time for the small staffs of startups. It also
lets them focus on their projects rather than tasks like hiring support
staff or ordering supplies.
Entrepreneurs can also get support from government agencies.
Chicago-based startup ClearFlame Engine Technologies is working on
engine technology that lets existing diesel engines burn low-carbon
and carbon-negative fuels. The company has received grants from the
Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and Argonne
National Laboratory.
Julie Blumreiter, CTO at ClearFlame, said grants were critical to
help the company continue developing its technology while founders
worked with venture capitalists. "The grants helped us bridge the valley of death faced by many startups," she said. "It gave us the ability
to move to the next phase."
Taking the next step typically means working with Tier 1s or OEMs.
October 2020 23

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2020

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