Autonomous Deliveries to Roll Out Across Europe

Autonomous vehicle companies Oxbotica and Goggo have teamed to roll out driverless deliveries across Europe.

The partnership will see Oxbotica, based in Oxford in the United Kingdom, provide self-driving software for vehicles used in Madrid-based Goggo’s delivery services.

Goggo deploys electric vehicles for middle and last-mile deliveries in several industries, including shipping, groceries and food. The EVs to be equipped with Oxbotica tech will all have a maximum payload capacity of up to 3,300 lb and be used on the road.

Among Goggo’s key partners in Spain are major companies such as Telepizza and supermarkets Carrefour and Dia, and their delivery operations will be among the first to benefit from the new tie-up. 

Ultimately, the long-term aim is for the Spanish pilots to provide a base for a more extensive program of driverless deliveries in other countries across Europe.

Oxbotica has been attracting attention – and funding – thanks to its strategy of “Universal Autonomy.” In January it raised $140 million from a diverse range of investors that included BP Ventures, Chinese conglomerate Tencent and German parts supplier ZF.

Universal Autonomy is the idea of bringing flexible automated functionality to any area that would benefit from it, with the capacity to integrate with existing software and regardless of hardware. 

Related:Self-Driving Technology Developer Oxbotica Raises $140M

Oxbotica says its software works on vehicles both on and off-road, in extreme weather conditions and poor light. Mapping, AI and sensors are all used to deliver the automated functionality.

Both companies say now is the right time to be pairing up on middle-mile deliveries, highlighting a driver shortage in Europe that could potentially reach 2 million by 2026.

“Our collaboration will enable Goggo to provide an unparalleled experience for autonomous middle and last mile deliveries throughout Europe,” said Yasmine Fage, Goggo's co-founder and COO. “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 look forward to deploying our unique autonomy solution into their mobility network. We can help Goggo get the most value from their autonomous fleets.” 

The deal will also see Goggo make use of Oxbotica’s fleet management system, to optimize performance, plus have access to the Oxbotica MetaDriver, a suite of tools that uses generative AI and machine learning to validate and verify AVs in a virtual environment.

Related:Self-Driving Delivery Service Launched in France

Goggo was founded in 2018 and has made rapid progress, particularly over the last year. It already has a deal in place with Mobileye to use its tech in some of its vehicles, and in December launched what was claimed to be Europe’s first last-mile grocery delivery service with Carrefour in France.