Autonomy is Here. The Real Test Will Be Everything Around It.

Autonomous vehicles are already on the road — but the infrastructure, regulation, and operational systems around them haven't caught up. Panelists from I-ACT, Revoy, and TechNexus explore why the next wave of autonomy innovation is a system-of-systems challenge, not just a technology problem.

For years, autonomy has been an exercise in waiting. Tech pundits and prognosticators predicted autonomous vehicles were just around the corner, only to see the timeline get pushed and pushed.

The reality now: autonomy is no longer a future prospect. The deployment of Waymo and other autonomous vehicles across city streets proves the once-futuristic technology has arrived. Now, it’s the rest of the world that’s yet to catch up.

Autonomy as a System-of-systems Challenge

This was the underlying theme in TechNexus Venture Collaborative's April 2nd virtual conversation on Autonomy in The Real Word. Beyond outlining the latest innovations in autonomy, panelists focused on the challenges of deploying autonomous technology in the physical world.

What we’re seeing is that autonomy is not a single technology problem—it’s a system-of-systems challenge. And the next phase of innovation in mobility is not just about making systems work—it’s about making them work reliably in real environments.

I-ACT: Testing Autonomy Beyond the Lab

Imad Al-Qadi, director of the Illinois Center for Transportation and leader of the I-ACT (Illinois Autonomous and Connected Track), pointed out that autonomous trucks, for example, need to follow different paths to minimize road damages. Many autonomous technologies today are validated in controlled settings, with unanswered questions remaining about performance in real-life environments.

“When things work in the lab and you get it to real life, you have a little different animal there,” Al-Qadi said.

The University of Illinois is building its 238-acre state-of-the-art facility on the former Chanute Air Force Base answers these questions. I-ACT is meant to be a “house for all the technologies” operating autonomously, from vehicles to drones. It offers a place where innovative ideas in smart infrastructure, energy sustainability, secure communication, cybersecurity, and mobility solutions can be evaluated together instead of separately.

Located in Rantoul, Illinois, I-ACT features multimodal test tracks, an observation building connected to one of the fastest computers in the world, logistics and agricultural test beds, and integrated data and maintenance facilities. All of these components come together to provide a practical platform for testing and validating emerging technologies before implementing them on a large scale.

Revoy’s Approach to Deployment

Catherine Shepherd, Head of Strategy & Business Operations at Revoy, a company deploying modular electrification infrastructure for freight fleets, provided a glimpse into the application of the aforementioned technologies when companies design their operations around their constraints.

“The reason we’re taking this kind of modular electrification approach, rather than just electrifying a semi or a trailer, really comes down to asset utilization,” Shepherd said.

Revoy created a converter dolly to make the trucks hybrid without changing the trucks' design. They can swap out the converter in less than five minutes. While reducing emissions is important, it is not the only benefit of Revoy's system. Instead, they designed the system to allow trucks to operate on known freight routes, swap out the converter dolly every 200 miles, maximize asset utilization, and avoid the dead time associated with the complete conversion of a fleet of trucks.

This strategy led to significant success in a pilot with Ryder on a lane connecting Texas and Arkansas. Revoy reduced the fuel consumption in their pilot significantly. They have launched another pilot on a Texas-Arkansas lane, and they are currently developing one between Los Angeles and Phoenix, as well as launching a commercially available lane between Portland and Boise.

Shepherd concluded her presentation with a critical insight into supply chain management culture. While innovative solutions are crucial to improving efficiency and reducing emissions, they may be rejected by the supply chain for a simple reason: they disrupt the flow of goods. She noted that “the more innovative the solution sounds, the less likely the fleet will accept it,” since it introduces more uncertainty into their operation. Fleets are interested in reducing operational costs, increasing driver safety and comfort, and increasing productivity.

What the Future of Autonomy Demands

TechNexus’s John Ramirez discussed the importance of designing autonomous transportation systems around the problems that matter, noting that the challenge is “not a technical challenge” alone, but “a collaboration across the technical, the economic and the operational.”

He emphasized the importance of creating autonomous transportation technology by working backward from the constraints and requirements of the freight industry.

“They’re not saying, help us find the next killer technology,” Ramirez said. “They’re saying, help us solve this problem.”

It’s essential to consider that the development of autonomous transportation technology will require more than technological innovation. It will also need investment in infrastructure that can support the new technology.

Roads must be able to withstand new types of traffic flows, regulators should address these changes before the fact rather than reacting to incidents, systems must withstand hacking attacks and adverse weather conditions, and new infrastructure should be compatible with both trucks and their drivers.

By TechNexus Venture Collaborative at TechNexus Venture Collaborative