ChargePoint-Gatik Partnership Aims to Meet Autonomous-Vehicle Demand

Autonomous middle-mile logistics provider Gatik and electric vehicle charging network ChargePoint have formed a partnership to maximize sustainability, operational efficiency and economics to the companies’ customers across North America.

The partnership aims to develop an electric ecosystem for autonomous vehicles by having their infrastructure and integrated services help decarbonize the B2B short-haul logistics sector. Gatik will also have access to a nationwide charging network and fleet-specific software that provides telematics intelligence configurable to each customer’s operations, as well as modular charging hardware to minimize upfront costs by reducing required electrical capacity.

“Our partnership with ChargePoint will ensure that we’re not only meeting intensifying demand for our product offering and service, but offering our customers access to national charging infrastructure and a wealth of technical advantages to support them in meeting their corporate sustainability goals,” said Arjun Narang, co-founder and CTO of Mountain View, Calif.-based Gatik.

Consumer expectations for real-time access to goods is increasing, which has resulted in an influx of freight-moving vehicles on North American roads. This has made sustainability both a collective challenge and a collective responsibility for the logistics industry.

Through the partnership, customers transporting goods in Gatik’s autonomous electric fleet will have access to ChargePoint’s expertise in site design, interoperability validation and lower investment costs. The partnership will also ensure that customers have access to Gatik’s class 3-6 autonomous electric fleet and ChargePoint’s scalable charging technology that supports a cleaner, more efficient and sustainable logistics sector.

“ChargePoint has proven experience across multiple customer applications and use cases,” said Rich Mohr, VP of fleet solutions at Campbell, Calif.-based ChargePoint. “Together, ChargePoint and Gatik will provide industry-leading infrastructure and technologies for forward-thinking fleets.” 

Powered by ChargePoint’s charging technology, Gatik launched its first autonomous electric box trucks with Walmart Inc. in 2021. This serves as a solution for hyper-efficient goods movement, significant emissions reductions, and impactful savings on fuel and powertrain maintenance costs. 

As e-commerce and logistics sectors look to decrease their carbon footprints, demand for Gatik’s product offering among national retail and e-commerce giants has soared. This has led to the rapid expansion of ChargePoint’s infrastructure at Gatik’s vehicle depots and customer locations across existing and emerging markets.

Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores under 48 banners in 24 countries, and e-commerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while Walmart-owned Sam’s Club ranks No. 9 on the list.