Atlas Energy Solutions plans to outfit new high-capacity trucks with Kodiak’s autonomous driving technology.
The company recently completed its first driverless delivery in West Texas’s Permian Basin, the partners reported. The 21-mile delivery moved Atlas’s frac sand from a depot to a wellsite with no one inside the cab.
The companies also revealed that Atlas placed an order for Kodiak-equipped driverless trucks that will deliver frac sand across the Permian Basin’s existing infrastructure of private-lease roads. Early next year, Atlas plans to launch commercial operations using its first two trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver. Under the agreement, Kodiak will provide its technology to Atlas via a driver-as-a-service licensing deal. Atlas will own the trucks, and Kodiak will provide its fully redundant, platform-agnostic hardware and software designed for scalable driverless deployment. Kodiak also will provide operational support services, including remote monitoring from its operations center in Lancaster, Texas.
“Atlas’s partnership with Kodiak is another example of the unique culture of innovation that is pervasive inside our organization,” Atlas CEO John Turner said in a news release.
The hot and dry climate in the Permian Basin makes it one of the world’s most challenging environments for truck drivers, Kodiak maintained, and the Kodiak Driver is “well equipped” to handle driving through harsh conditions, including dust storms that impact visibility and extreme heat.
“The Permian Basin’s expansive private-lease road network, which expands across the Delaware and Midland Basins, is an ideal environment in which to introduce autonomous trucking in North America,” said Chris Scholla, Atlas chief supply chain officer. “With average traffic speeds of under 20 mph on these large swaths of private roads, we can safely deliver a more reliable last-mile solution to our customers in the Permian Basin.
“This truly represents a step-change in oilfield logistics.”