UK-based autonomous software developer Oxa has announced its first US-based partnership with Beep.
The new partnership will see Oxa’s self-driving software installed across a variety of Beep autonomous vehicles – with two Oxa-driven Beep shuttles already operating at Suntrax test facility in Florida.
The partnership comes just months after Oxbotica changed its name to Oxa ahead of its push into North America and Europe.
Gavin Jackson, CEO at Oxford-based Oxa, said: “This marks a significant step forward for Oxa and the future of self-driving technology.
“Through partnering with Beep, we have the potential to drive several thousand vehicles over the coming years to make Oxa software the most widely utilised AV platform on the planet.”
Joe Moye, CEO at Beep, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Oxa to bring new and enhanced electric, autonomous vehicles to market as we continue to expand our testing and our business across the United States.
“Oxa’s self-driving software, integrated with our command centre and service management software, provides a safe and sophisticated autonomous solution that will enhance our passenger experience and operational capabilities, making more accessible, true autonomous use cases a near-term reality.
“Safe, shared autonomous transportation promises a major impact on traffic congestion, road safety and the environment, and we’re pleased to have a partner who shares these priorities and values in Oxa.”
Oxa’s autonomy software will be installed in a variety of vehicle types operated by Beep, from current passenger shuttles to future vehicle platforms.
The first initiative in the partnership is a fleet of Beep autonomous and electric shuttles driven by Oxa Driver, Oxa’s software that enables safe and energy-efficient self-driving of any vehicle type in any environment.
Two of the Beep shuttles featuring Oxa software are currently operating at the recently opened SunTrax test facility in Auburndale, Florida – the first US location specifically designed for connected autonomous vehicle and standard automotive testing in a single site.
Oxa Driver combines sensor data from cameras, lidar and radar, enabling it to gain a more comprehensive view of the world around it than vehicles that rely on cameras alone.
This latest announcement follows a successful Series C funding round for Oxa, which raised more than £115m ($140m) for the business earlier this year, as well as a new strategic partnership with Google Cloud through which Oxa is leveraging a number of Google Cloud products to help develop, test, validate and verify its self-driving technology.