Mountain View, CA -June 24, 2021… BMW i Ventures announced today an investment in Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a leading developer of self-driving long-haul trucking technology. The funds from the BMW i Ventures investment help Kodiak expand its team and fleet, as well as continue to develop its industry-leading self-driving technology purpose-built for long-haul trucks. Kodiak is led by a team of autonomous driving veterans who hail from Google’s original self-driving team, Uber, Lyft and more. The company delivers freight daily in Texas, and also tests in California. The Kodiak Driver incorporates numerous autonomous trucking-specific innovations including its groundbreaking light-weight mapping technology. These maps allow Kodiak to update route changes – like road construction – on the go without having to stop freight deliveries. “The Kodiak Driver is one of the most advanced technology stacks in autonomous trucking, and has made tremendous strides towards driverless deployment,” said Kasper Sage, partner, BMW i Ventures. “Industry observers believe self-driving trucks will be one of the first commercially-viable applications of autonomous technology and we look forward to working with Kodiak in the coming years to put self-driving trucks on the road.” Kodiak, which recently celebrated its third birthday, is building and operating self-driving trucks designed to operate on highway routes, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak delivers freight daily for its customers between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, operating autonomously on the highway portion of the route. In January, Kodiak became the first company in the autonomous trucking industry to announce disengage-free customer deliveries. “We are thrilled to partner with BMW i Ventures to accelerate the commercialization of Kodiak’s autonomous trucking technology,” said Don Burnette, Kodiak’s CEO. “BMW i Ventures is one of the leading investors in automotive technology and will be a perfect strategic partner for Kodiak.” About BMW i VenturesBMW i Ventures is BMW’s venture capital firm, investing money and resources in startups in the fields of transportation, manufacturing, supply chain and sustainability. The firm has made many succesful investments over the years in companies such as Bright Machines, Blackmore, Chargepoint, Graphcore, Urgent.ly, Proterra, PureCycle, Solid Power, Tekion, Turntide, Xometry and many more. BMW i Ventures invests in all stages from seed to growth with a focus on Series A/B. For more information visit bmwiventures.com About Kodiak Robotics, Inc.Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 to develop autonomous technology that carries freight forward—so people, partners, and the planet thrive. Kodiak is building and operating self-driving trucks designed to operate on highway routes, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak has developed the industry’s most advanced technology stack purpose-built specifically for long-haul trucks. Kodiak delivers freight daily for its customers between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, operating autonomously on the highway portion of the route. In January 2021, Kodiak became the first company in the autonomous trucking industry to announce disengage-free customer deliveries, and released footage of over 1000 miles of disengage-free driving. Learn more about Kodiak on the web at kodiak.ai, and on Medium, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can find the company press kit HERE. BMW Group In AmericaBMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 349 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 116 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.www.bmwgroup.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroupTwitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroupYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupviewGoogle+: http://googleplus.bmwgroup.comJournalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com, www.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.
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