Oxbotica ties up with AppliedEV to develop multi-purpose self-driving vehicle

Oxbotica, a self-driving software startup company, said earlier this week that it had partnered with AppliedEV in relation with development of a fully autonomous multi-purpose vehicle that could be put to a range of commercial uses.

The self-driving electric vehicles will first be deployed in industrial logistics and automated goods delivery.

In April, UK online grocer Ocado announced a GBP 10 million ($13.8 million) investment in Oxbotica as part of a partnership that was expected to result in a lower cost of last-mile delivery and other logistics.

“We are really excited and supportive of this collaboration between Oxbotica and AppliedEV as we see it as an important step on our journey to developing advanced autonomous mobility solutions for the Ocado Smart Platform,” Alex Harvey, head of advanced technology at Ocado Technology, said in a statement.

Autonomous EV maker AppliedEV, which was established by former Tesla Inc and General Motors Co executives, is to provide the EV platform for the vehicle, the companies said.

According to Julian Broadbent, the Chief Executive Officer of AppliedEV, the tie-up could produce “strong commercial outcomes” in as little as 12 months.