American E-Commerce Leader Amazon Acquires 1,000 “Robot-Driven” Trucks to Speed Up Deliveries

To Speed Up Your Deliveries, Amazon, The World Leader In E-commerce, Acquired About A Thousand Trucks Driven By Robots, Or Rather – Autonomous

Amazon, the e-commerce leader, agreed to purchase 1,000 “robot-driven” trucks to speed up deliveries. The autonomous trucking startup Plus develops AI-based software for trucks and has also reached an agreement with Amazon to offer the e-commerce giant the opportunity to buy shares.

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Amazon Is Moving Faster In The Global Lead In E-commerce

As part of the agreement, Amazon has the option to purchase up to 420,702,410 preferred shares of Plus for about US$ 0.47 each, which would represent a 20% stake in the global e-commerce company.

If Amazon were to buy the maximum number of shares offered, it would represent an investment of nearly US$ 200 million. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment on Bloomberg’s report. A spokesperson for Plus also declined to comment.

Additionally, based in California, it is one of many companies working to create driverless systems. The partnership with e-commerce leader Amazon may eventually help the multinational eliminate the need for human drivers. This is just the latest example of the retail giant exploring what a future without human delivery drivers could look like. Last year, Amazon agreed to acquire Zoox, an autonomous taxi for over US$ 1 billion. Amazon’s autonomous robotaxi was revealed at the end of that year.

Technology Acquired By Amazon For Use Of Robot-Driven Trucks May Change The Automotive Industry

By utilizing Plus’s technology, Amazon could also help overcome the national labor shortage that has severely affected the trucking industry, resulting in delivery delays and increased transportation costs. For now, the PlusDrive system still requires a licensed driver. But that may change in the coming years.

The PlusDrive is Plus’s first product and operates similarly to Tesla’s “full self-driving” software, which requires a licensed driver to keep their eyes on the road in case of system malfunction or the need for intervention. Plus’s CEO, David Liu, told Mark Matousek from Insider that the company expects to sell a product that does not require a driver by the end of 2024.

Robot-Driven Trucks Are Expected To Become A Fad In The Coming Decades

Plus began providing automation systems for semi-trucks early this year to companies in the United States and China. The company supplied the Chinese delivery company SF Holding with its system that allows semi-trucks to run over 1,400 kilometers per day. Plus was founded in 2016 and announced plans to go public through a US$ 3.3 billion SPAC deal in May.

This will not be Amazon’s first foray into automated technology. Amazon has long used AI-related technology to monitor employees and maximize productivity. The company has used AI as a tool to hire talent and also in a system that tracks delivery drivers’ movements, which can even sense when a driver yawns.