Oxa gears up for autonomous Ford E-Transit van, minibus

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology provider Oxa has revealed that Ford E-Transit vans and minibuses are now powered by its flagship Oxa Driver software.

The motor company’s first all-electric vehicle of its type, the E-Transit is said to be Europe’s best-selling large electric van offering a cost-effective platform for both goods delivery and passenger services all over the world.

The autonomous vehicle is designed to integrate into existing fleets, offering a versatile and capable platform to suit different applications.

It’s equipped with standard automotive-grade sensors, including cameras, lidar and radar. Full 360-degree perception and long-range detection enable autonomous operation up to 35mph in mixed traffic. Manual controls are preserved, allowing the vehicle to be used flexibly in a non-autonomous mode.

The E-Transits, upfitted with cameras, lidar and radar, run the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Oxa Driver software, enabling the vehicles to operate fully autonomously. A trained on-board safety operator will monitor the technology, in line with current UK laws.

The E-Transits are also the first mass-production vehicles to be converted using Oxa’s Reference Autonomy Designs (RADs), which are designed to allow for the rapid integration of autonomy on host vehicles, including Driven by Oxa software and sensors, compute and drive-by-wire systems.

Oxa said the commercial production of AVs requires the combination of manufacturing and autonomy expertise, underpinned by a flexible, adaptable approach. RADs are defined, prototyped and validated by Oxa, before being used by vehicle OEMs and approved upfitters to mass-produce AVs, with flexible distribution and licensing models. This is said to be key to scaling commercial deployments of autonomous vehicles.

To assure the safe and efficient deployment of the Ford E-Transits, Oxa has tested and validated operations using a combination of controlled environments, real-world driving and virtual testing using spatial AI technology. Generative AI, digital twins and simulation allow accelerated training and evaluation tailored to the customers’ needs.

The Ford deal comes hot on the heels of Oxa announcing the third commercial deployment of its Oxa Driver service in the US, carried out in collaboration with autonomous shared mobility firm Beep, to strengthen its position in the industrial logistics sector.