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Robert Bosch Venture Capital invests in Trunk

Ground-breaking technology for autonomous trucking in China

  • Robert Bosch Venture Capital invests together with existing investors GLP and EBVC.
  • RBVC managing director Dr. Ingo Ramesohl: “Trunk's advanced technology stack for autonomous trucking is a key component for the rapidly evolving Chinese logistics market.”
  • Bosch’s global leadership and expertise in automotive technology is adding strategic value to the investment.

Aron Bahnmüller

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Stuttgart, Germany – Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), the corporate venture capital arm of the Bosch Group, has invested in Trunk, a startup based in Beijing, China. Trunk provides combined hardware and software solutions for autonomous trucking. It is the first company to go into production with autonomous trucking solutions for the container logistics market, currently valued at some 19 billion U.S. dollars. The company’s solutions feature artificial intelligence (AI) and are specifically designed for logistics applications such as container transportation in and between ports and warehouses. “Trunk’s unrivaled AI-based technology enables 24/7 goods transportation with limited human involvement. This is a key step toward achieving logistics automation in the near future,” says Dr. Ingo Ramesohl, the managing director of RBVC. “The technology is strategically relevant for numerous Bosch products in commercial-vehicle applications.”

Full technology stack for autonomous trucks

Trunk is a full-stack supplier for truck manufacturers. The company's developments include fleet management and remote control software, that is certified for automotive use (ISO 26262) and can be fully integrated into customer operating platforms, such as terminal operating systems in ports. Trunk’s perception, decision-making, and planning modules offer best-in-class localization accuracy. By leveraging specially designed neural networks as well as inference and robotic technologies, Trunk is able to precisely tailor its solutions perfectly with customer needs. In doing so, the company is helping to compensate for an ever-increasing shortage of drivers, saving energy, and easing tedious workflows. The success of this approach is already visibly in the form of strong strategic partnerships, for example with China Merchant Port, China’s biggest port operator. Among the startup’s customers are logistics giants like Tianjin Port and Sinotruck. “We are very pleased to be supported by Bosch,” says Trunk’s CEO Zhang Tianlei. “Bosch is a global leader in automotive technology. Its investment will boost Trunk’s competitiveness as well as our ability to provide professional autonomous trucking services to customers.”

Autonomous trucking is key to meeting challenges in logistics business

In recent years, China has evolved into a major hub for manufacturing, trading, and technology development, and seen domestic consumption rise accordingly. As a result, demand for logistics services in China is at an all-time high. Like many countries, however, China is faced with a shortage of qualified truck drivers, which is making it difficult to keep up with demand. Trunk believes that autonomous trucking technology is the key to meeting these challenges. It also has the potential to revolutionize the logistics sector, both in China and around the globe. Thanks to its long-standing experience in this field, Trunk is well-positioned to become one of the leading suppliers in this market.

Experienced team and investors

Trunk’s founders are Chinese pioneers in autonomous driving. The management team comprises AI experts, automotive-industry veterans, and logistics leaders, all with excellent track records. The shareholders include iFlyTek, a leading AI company, GLP, a leading global investment manager specializing in logistics and related technology, and EBVC, a senior logistics investor. Along with RBVC, they will continue to provide Trunk with wide-ranging support to bring autonomous trucking onto the road.

Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC) is the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, a leading global supplier of technology and services. RBVC invests worldwide in innovative start-up companies at all stages of their development. Its investment activities focus on technology companies working in areas of business of current and future relevance for Bosch, above all, automation and electrification, energy efficiency, enabling technologies, and healthcare systems. RBVC also invests in services and business models that are relevant to the above-mentioned areas of business. Furthermore, RBVC enables co-innovation between Bosch and startup through the Open Bosch Program.

Additional information is available at www.rbvc.com

About TRUNK Technologies Ltd.
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Beijing, China, TRUNK is dedicating on providing autonomous truck solution and service, on level 4 system for specific scenarios like harbor, highway and urban environments. Its AI-based system has already been deployed all over China to help the actual goods transportation for giant logistic customers.

For more information visit: http://trunk.tech/

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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