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Phantom Auto Raised $ 13.5 Million in Funding for a Series A Tour Led by Bessemer Venture Partners – The capital used to develop a logistics company targeting sidewalks, warehouses and loading stations, all places where autonomy and teleoperation are deployed today.
The startup, founded in 2017, has raised approximately $ 19 million to date. Byron Deeter and Bessemer's Tess Hatch joined Phantom's board of directors.
The so-called "race" for the deployment of autonomous trucks, robotaxi services and other applications of autonomous vehicle technology on public roads has experienced a slowdown that has caused ripples in the nascent industry.
In short: autonomous vehicles are difficult and everyone seems to realize that.
As deployment times have evolved, businesses have calmed down. Some have rotated, closed, or been the victim of acquisitions by other, better-capitalized, talent-seeking companies. Other companies, such as Phantom Auto, adjacent to the industry, are expanding into new areas while autonomous vehicle developers are updating themselves.
Co-founder of Phantom Auto Elliot Katz pointed out that the company was still working with customers deploying autonomous vehicles for tourism and tourism on public roads. This new logistics business, however, has more potential in the short term.
"We continue to be designed for customers who focus on utility vehicles on public roads, but it will take some time for stand-alone commercial vehicles and commercial trucks to be deployed on a large scale," said Phantom, Shai Magzimof, in a statement.
The company works with some of the world's largest logistics companies, Katz said. Phantom Auto does not yet provide a complete list of customers. A named partner is Dutch manufacturer of Terberg yard trucks.
Katz told TechCrunch that customers include companies launching autonomous delivery robots. They also use the platform to remotely operate forklifts and equipped construction trucks. teleoperation software. Yard trucks are used by major retailers, for example.
There has been no innovation with construction trucks in the last 40 years, "Katz said. "And customers in this segment are eager to become more efficient. This is the name of the game for them. They see this as a way to get there.
Phantom Auto's remote-control platform allows a remote driver, sometimes thousands of miles away, to take control of an autonomous vehicle if necessary. The platform, which uses public cellular networks, is not designed to take over in a split second in the hope of avoiding an accident. Instead, it is used as a safety backup to take control of the vehicle when it encounters a difficult scenario and becomes confused, or is even involved in an accident.
In the logistic application, the Phantom Auto system is used in low speed environments. A remote control center could control a company's construction trucks anywhere in the country.
Phantom Auto does not use remote drivers in this use case. Instead, Katz said that these logistics customers generally wanted to train their own employees to use the platform. And that does not necessarily replace drivers who are on the ground and driving these trucks or forklifts. The system is seen as a way to use workers at a slowing site to remotely manage a busier place.
For delivery robots, the platform can be used to help the vehicle handle difficult situations such as stairs or other complex environments.
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