Delivery technology has been in the spotlight, driven by the continued rise of e-commerce – and the demand for faster delivery – coupled with a shortage of drivers and need to reduce costs, especially for last mile delivery.
One of the most high profile innovations is autonomous vehicles, which would reduce the need for drivers – a labor segment that even post pandemic is facing severe shortages.
Total global investment in the category now exceeds $200 billion, according to McKinsey & Co.
A lot of AV research is focused on mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) – driverless fleets, similar to Uber – available to consumers on-demand. However there is significant capital going to AV trucking.
Why Have Autonomous Vehicle Delivery Has Stalled?
Autonomous vehicles looked like a solution to a growing shortage of drivers needed to support e-commerce deliveries. In response, investment in A.V. trucking has reached nearly $9 billion, according to Pitchbook. However the rollout has been slower than expected.
