Autonomous vehicle provider Goggo Network will integrate an autonomous driving system developed by Oxbotica into its middle and last-mile delivery operations.
Oxbotica’s autonomous driving software is capable of driving both on and off road, in various weather conditions, low light and darkness, and is able to adapt to any location (e.g. local road or site routes). It uses advanced AI to sense and predict changes to the environment the vehicle is in, while learning from previous journeys, which is key to continually improving the safety and efficiency of the technology.
This system will be deployed on-road, as part of Goggo’s electric vehicle (EV) network. The vehicles selected will have a maximum payload capacity of up to 1,500kg, which will be important for heavy and large cargo autonomous middle-mile deliveries for retailers and distributors. Goggo plans to start these operations with safety drivers to oversee its entire autonomous mobility network in 2023, and once the respective safety validations have been completed and regulatory clearance obtained, it will make the transition to full autonomy.
The first stage of the collaboration will see Goggo deploy Oxbotica’s autonomy software in Spain, to trial Oxbotica’s technology in middle-mile delivery in its operations with partners including Carrefour, Día and Telepizza. According to Goggo, the success of these tests will be a key part of the decision to include Oxbotica within its wider mobility network across cities in Europe.
The announcement comes at a time of high fuel costs and a shortage of drivers across Europe, but ever-increasing demand for services as online shopping skyrockets. By 2026, across Europe, the driver shortage is expected to triple, with the total topping two million.
Alongside Oxbotica’s self-driving software, Goggo will be tapping into Oxbotica’s fleet management system to operate its fleet of autonomous vehicles and optimize operational performance. Goggo will also use Oxbotica MetaDriver – a suite of tools that uses generative AI and machine learning to validate, verify and ensure the safety of autonomous vehicles in a virtual environment. Oxbotica MetaDriver automatically generates a bank of scenarios, used to test and refine AV operations and behaviors without ever needing to physically drive in them, which will accelerate the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles in Goggo’s network.
“Our partnership with Oxbotica centers around a shared commitment to realizing the benefits of autonomous mobility today,” said Yasmine Fage, co-founder and chief operating officer at Goggo. “Our collaboration will enable Goggo to provide an unparalleled experience for autonomous middle- and last-mile deliveries throughout Europe. We were impressed by Oxbotica’s system for autonomy and its outstanding safety standard, and we are excited to see how this collaboration can have a positive impact in the logistics industry, helping some of the critical challenges it faces today.”
Gavin Jackson, CEO at Oxbotica, added, “We are thrilled to be working with Goggo to enable businesses in Europe to deploy autonomous vehicle technology sooner for safer and more efficient operations. We look forward to deploying our unique autonomy solution into their mobility network. From Goggo benefitting their fleets being driven by Oxbotica to our ground-breaking virtual testing environment and suite of cloud-based management tools – we can help Goggo get the most value from their autonomous fleets.”
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