Artificial intelligence is making its way into road freight. France’s Groupe Blondel has launched a trial of Hypermile, an AI driving system from Paris-region startup Konboi, on four trucks, with fuel consumption as the first target.
Konboi, founded in late 2019, develops physical AI for trucking aimed at cutting consumption and automating parts of the driving task. Blondel, a transport and logistics operator running a fleet of 1,800 trucks, is pursuing the partnership against a backdrop of high fuel costs and decarbonization pressure.
How Hypermile works
Hypermile is an AI-driven cruise control that the startup says trims average fuel use by around 10%. For a truck covering roughly 10,000 km a month, Konboi estimates that translates to as much as 22 metric tons of CO2 avoided per year, depending on operating conditions. The system relies on onboard sensors and algorithms that read the road in real time, factoring in topography, load, tire pressure, traffic and anticipated slowdowns, and adjusting speed accordingly.
From pilot to fleet
Konboi founder and CEO Pejvan Beigui notes that fuel consumption can vary by up to 25% from one driver to another, so part of the goal is steering drivers toward smoother, more consistent habits. Blondel CEO Jerome Juteau said the trial puts a concrete, homegrown technology to work on energy efficiency, driving quality and cost control, with a phased rollout to 150 vehicles on the table if results hold.
The deal also opens a path to testing Konboi’s autonomous truck prototype, where AI would take over simpler stretches such as motorway runs.
