Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

fleet

VW electric vehicle sales increase more than 400 percent

by

Volkswagen’s electric vehicle sales have increased more than 400 percent over the past year, according to the German auto giant’s latest figures.

The Volkswagen Group says its “e-offensive is gaining traction”. Deliveries of electric models in the EU including the UK, Norway and Iceland increased “more than fourfold in the year now ended to a total of 315,400 electric vehicles (2019: 72,600)”.

The proportion of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in-hybrids (PHEVs) in the total deliveries rose to 9.7 percent (2019: 1.7 percent). [Read more…] about VW electric vehicle sales increase more than 400 percent

Motional and Lyft to launch fully driverless rideshare service

by

Motional, a driverless technology developer, and rideshare service provider Lyft have agreed joint plans to launch a multimarket robotaxi service in major US cities, beginning in 2023.

Motional says its next generation, fully driverless vehicles will be integrated, operationalized, and implemented on the Lyft network.

The two companies claim this agreement marks the largest robotaxi partnership for a major ridesharing network. It follows an ongoing and successful three-year partnership, in which Motional and Lyft operate the world’s longest-standing commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas. [Read more…] about Motional and Lyft to launch fully driverless rideshare service

ForwardX launches six new autonomous mobile robots

by

ForwardX Robotics has launched six new products under its Max range of autonomous mobile robots: Max 300 Lift Lite, Max 300 Conveyor, Max 600 Conveyor, Max 1200 Standard, Max 1200 Lift, and Max 1200 Conveyor.

All the new robots are built to safely and efficiently automate material handling within production and warehousing facilities. The product launch coincided with ForwardX’s appearance at CeMAT Asia last month, where the new products were on show for visitors to see.

Nicolas Chee, founder and CEO of ForwardX Robotics, says: “At ForwardX, our goal has always been to develop mature solutions that actually deliver real value right now. We understand that the manufacturing industry is a complex one with a variety of circumstances and pain points specific to each manufacturer. [Read more…] about ForwardX launches six new autonomous mobile robots

Wrapify, Kiwibot and Gong partner for ‘first’ autonomous bot delivery campaign

by

Wrapify, the advertising tech platform for brands powered by out-of-home and the gig economy, has agreed a “first-of-its-kind” autonomous bot delivery campaign alongside partners Kiwibot, the delivery robot company, and Gong, the revenue intelligence platform, kicking off in San Jose and coming soon to Denver and Los Angeles.

Robotic delivery services can promise contactless delivery, a highly sought-after service under mandates of social distancing.

With autonomous bots on the rise, Wrapify’s Boost provides these delivery operators with a brand-new transit media revenue stream with the ability to provide brand and agency clients robust attribution reporting, data visualization and multi-channel retargeting capabilities. [Read more…] about Wrapify, Kiwibot and Gong partner for ‘first’ autonomous bot delivery campaign

Ridecell raises $45 million in latest funding round

by

Ridecell, the startup providing fleet management software for autonomous vehicles, has secured $45 million in its Series C financing round.

The round was led by new investor, Fort Ross Ventures, and includes new investor Solasta Ventures.

Existing investors Activate Capital, Denso, LG Technology Ventures, and Initialized Capital also participated in the round. [Read more…] about Ridecell raises $45 million in latest funding round

Daimler Trucks and Waymo partner on the development of autonomous SAE Level 4 trucks

by

Daimler Trucks and Waymo have signed a broad, global, strategic partnership to implement autonomous SAE Level 4 technology. Their initial effort will combine Waymo’s industry-leading automated driver technology with a unique version of Daimler’s Freightliner Cascadia, to enable autonomous driving.

Waymo brings over a decade of experience building what it has trademarked as the “World’s Most Experienced Driver”, having driven over 20 million miles on public roads across 25 US cities and 15 billion miles in simulation.

Daimler Trucks North America, Daimler Trucks’ US subsidiary, parent company of the Freightliner brand and the US market leader in commercial vehicle manufacturing, provides their experience in developing “state-of-the art Class 8 vehicles”. [Read more…] about Daimler Trucks and Waymo partner on the development of autonomous SAE Level 4 trucks

Delivery vehicles moving to electric ecosystem

by

The unlikely convergence of a global pandemic and electric vehicle technology is driving delivery fleets to adopt electric vehicles at ever increasing rates.

The coronavirus pandemic has reportedly caused a huge spike in package delivery. According to CNBC.com, UPS for instance, delivered up to 21.1 million packages a day in the second quarter of 2020, a nearly 23 percent jump in average daily US volume from a year earlier.

Electric Vehicle Outlook 2020, published by BloombergNEF, states that there are over 500,000 e-buses and almost 400,000 electric delivery vans and trucks on the road globally. [Read more…] about Delivery vehicles moving to electric ecosystem

AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

by

Driverless car startup AutoX has launched its RoboTaxi ride-hailing service in Shanghai, China to the general public for the first time, marking a transit milestone for China’s largest city.

AutoX RoboTaxis can be booked through Alibaba’s AutoNavi smartphone app, similar to other ride-hailing services.

AutoX, which has raised at least $160 million to date, according to Crunchbase, has also struck up a strategic partnership with Letzgo, a major taxi fleet operations company headquartered in Shanghai. [Read more…] about AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

Epiroc orders 77 giant autonomous mining truck systems from ASI

by

Autonomous Solutions Inc has signed a subcontract with mining equipment manufacturer Epiroc to supply its autonomous haul truck solution to Roy Hill in Western Australia.

This signing follows the recent award by Roy Hill to Epiroc, a global leader in mining equipment and drill automation, as the prime contractor for the project.

For its part, ASI Mining will supply the technology and systems to convert Roy Hill’s mixed fleet of 77 haul trucks from manned to autonomous operation. The project also includes integration with Fleet and other Mining Management Systems. [Read more…] about Epiroc orders 77 giant autonomous mining truck systems from ASI

Nuro partners with CVS Pharmacy to deliver medicines using its autonomous vehicle

by

Nuro is partnering with CVS Pharmacy to deliver medicines using its autonomous vehicle.

Starting this month, the “first-of-its-kind partnership” brings Nuro into the health space as the startup utilizes its fleet of autonomous vehicles to deliver prescriptions and essentials across three zip codes in Houston, Texas.

Pharma is the third industry sector in which Nuro will introduce its autonomous vehicles. [Read more…] about Nuro partners with CVS Pharmacy to deliver medicines using its autonomous vehicle