LAKE NONA, Fla. August 24, 2023 — Beep Inc., provider of autonomous shared mobility solutions, and Oxa, the autonomous vehicle software developer, announced a partnership to deploy vehicles driven by Oxa’s self-driving software product, Oxa Driver.
Oxa, a UK firm, will have its autonomy software installed in Beep vehicles. These vehicles range 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 Driver is Oxa’s software that enables safe and energy-efficient self-driving of any vehicle type in any environment. Two Beep shuttles with Oxa software are actively operational in the recently launched operations at the SunTrax test facility in Auburndale, Florida.
This facility will be used for conducting connected autonomous vehicle and standard automotive testing in a unified site. Oxa is utilizing the facility to showcase its passenger transportation solution ahead of public availability later this year.
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 fused sensor technology represents the first-of-its-kind deployment in a passenger shuttle in the U.S. The software uses AI to accurately sense and predict changes to the vehicle’s environment while learning from previous journeys. This is key to improving the capability of the technology over time.
“We thrill to collaborate with Beep in deploying our distinctive autonomy solution to facilitate safe, secure, and efficient passenger transportation in the United States,” said Gavin Jackson, CEO at Oxa. “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. Furthermore, this will make Oxa software the most widely utilized AV platform on the planet.”
“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,” said Joe Moye, CEO at Beep. “Oxa’s self-driving software, integrated with our command center and service management software, provides a safe and sophisticated autonomous solution. This solution will enhance our passenger experience and operational capabilities. Moreover, it will make 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. We’re pleased to have a partner who shares these priorities and values in Oxa.”
This latest announcement follows a successful Series C funding round for Oxa. The funding round raised more than $140 million for the business earlier this year. Additionally, Oxa has entered into a new strategic partnership with Google Cloud. Oxa partners with Google Cloud, utilizing products for self-driving tech’s development, testing, validation, and verification in a collaborative effort.
