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The UK government said last August it would advance a bill in the current parliamentary session, which is expected to end this autumn, providing detailed regulations by 2025. That has not yet happened, with political turmoil forcing the government to water down ambitions for this session. Transport Minister Mark Harper in December said there would no longer be a Transport Bill this session, and did not mention a separate AV bill in an outline of the ministry's legislative agenda. Last month Junior Minister Jesse Norman said he shared AV startups' concerns. They fear a self-driving bill will be crowded out by other vote-winning priorities in the run-up to the election.

Persons: Toby Melville LONDON, Claudio Gienal, Mark Harper, Iain Stewart, Jesse Norman, We've, Kaity Fischer, Wayve, Ashley Feldman, Alexander Dennis, Jim Hutchinson, Oxbotica, Paul Newman, Nick Carey, Ben Klayman, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Ireland, AXA, Transport, United Arab Emirates, Microsoft, Autonomous Vehicles, Stagecoach, BP, Thomson Locations: Oxford, Britain, British, France, Germany, California, London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Fife

☆ Oxbotica, Google Cloud partner to scale up autonomous software
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Signage is seen for Oxbotica, an autonomous vehicle technology tech firm, at their company headquarters in Oxford, Britain, June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Oxbotica and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google Cloud said on Tuesday they are partnering up to speed up the deployment of the British self-driving software startup's autonomous software platform to customers around the world. Oxbotica will use Google Cloud infrastructure to create "scalable, safe, and reliable" autonomous driving solutions for its customers in last-mile logistics, agriculture, light industry, and public transport, the companies said. The companies said Oxbotica will use Google Cloud products to develop and test its self-driving technology, including generating digital twins to validate its platform. Cloud infrastructure is seen as crucial for developing autonomous vehicles at scale.

☆ Oxbotica, Goggo team up for autonomous middle-mile delivery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) - British self-driving software startup Oxbotica and autonomous delivery company Goggo Network said on Wednesday they are teaming up to test middle-mile deliveries for retailers and other customers including Carrefour (CARR.PA) and Dia (DIDA.MC). The partnership will initially see Berlin-based Goggo deploying Oxbotica's autonomy software in Spain in middle-mile delivery operations for partners like Spanish pizza chain Telepizza. Goggo will also use Oxbotica's fleet management system to optimise the operational performance of its autonomous vehicles (AVs), the companies said. Middle-mile delivery routes, where vehicles run on fixed routes between distribution centres, are seen as easier to automate than last-mile deliveries to individual consumers' homes. Oxbotica said in January it had raised $140 million from investors to speed the deployment of AVs in areas including heavy industry, ports and airports.

REUTERS/Phil NobleCOVENTRY, England, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Developing fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) that can go everywhere has proven harder and more expensive than expected, but investors are continuing to fund startups that target simpler self-driving vehicle solutions far removed from pedestrians and other vehicles operated by unpredictable humans. Earlier promises made by robotaxi companies of operating fleets of vehicles by the early 2020s have fallen well short. BMW iVentures has also invested in AV truck technology firm Kodiak Robotics, which managing partner Sage said has adopted a simpler approach to areas like mapping. Construction and agricultural equipment - used off-road in low-traffic environments - has been another growth area for AV startups. U.S. agricultural equipment maker AGCO Corp (AGCO.N), for instance, is using the Palo Alto, California-based startup's software for an experimental automated electric planter.

☆ Factbox: Investments flow to automated vehicles in non-auto settings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Corporate and private investors have turned from funding autonomous trucks and passenger cars to companies and applications in a variety of non-automotive settings, from construction and mining to airports and agriculture. Among them:Company: Aurrigo (AURR.L)Headquarters: Coventry, UKStatus: publicFounded: 1993Focus: urban & airport shuttlesMarket capitalization: $40 millionCompany: OxboticaHeadquarters: Oxford, UKStatus: privateFounded: 2014Focus: passenger shuttles, warehouse vehicles, last-mile deliveryInvestors: ZF, BP, Ocado, Eneos, AXA, TencentMoney raised: $256 millionValuation: $720 millionPartners: ZF, BP, OcadoCompany: EinrideHeadquarters: Stockholm, SwedenStatus: privateFounded: 2016Focus: logistics yardsInvestors: Maersk, Ericsson, TemasekMoney raised: $655 millionPartners: Maersk, Bridgestone, InBev, GECompany: OutriderHeadquarters: Golden Colorado, USAStatus: privateFounded: 2017Focus: yard & warehouse vehiclesInvestors: Nvidia, Sumitomo, Abu Dhabi Investment FundMoney raised: $200 millionValuation: $550 millionCustomers: Georgia-PacificCompany: TeleoHeadquarters: Palo Alto, California, USAStatus: privateFounded: 2019Focus: construction & mining equipmentInvestors: UP Partners, Trucks, F-Prime, K9Money raised: $12 millionValuation: $44 millionCompany: Parallel SystemsHeadquarters: Los Angeles, USAStatus: privateFounded: 2020Focus: railcarsInvestors: Anthos, Congruent, Embark, RiotMoney raised: $53 millionValuation: $188 millionCompany: KodiakHeadquarters: Mountain View, California, USAStatus: privateFounded: 2018Focus: trucks, defense vehiclesInvestors: BMW, Bridgestone, PilotMoney raised: $198 millionValuation: $506 millionCustomers: IkeaCompany: Fox RoboticsHeadquarters: Austin, Texas, USAStatus: privateFounded: 2017Focus: forkliftsInvestors: Menlo, Eniac, Congruent, AMEMoney raised: $33 millionCompany: Apex.AIHeadquarters: Palo Alto, California, USAStatus: privateFounded: 2017Focus: agriculture equipmentInvestors: Toyota, Airbus, Agco, Daimler Truck, ZF, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Group, Hella, ContinentalMoney raised: $74 millionValuation: $297 millionSources: PitchBook, companiesReporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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☆ U.S. startup Outrider raises $73 mln to scale up autonomous yard trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - U.S. self-driving truck firm Outrider said on Thursday it has raised $73 million in funding to scale up its autonomous trucks operating in distribution yards for customers in e-commerce, manufacturing and other industries. It also includes fresh funding from American venture capital fund New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and the venture capital arm of industrial conglomerate Koch Industries. Outrider says its self-driving yard truck "hitches to and unhitches from trailers, robotically connects and disconnects trailer brake lines, backs semi-trailers with precision, interacts safely with loading docks, and keeps track of trailer locations throughout the yard." The company says its customers represent more than 20% of all yard trucks operating in North America, and have invested in joint product testing and pilot operations since 2019. Yard trucks are designed to move trailers and cargo containers in distribution yards.

☆ Oxbotica raises $140 mln to deploy self-driving commercial vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Self-driving software startup Oxbotica has raised $140 million from investors to speed deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in areas including heavy industry, ports and airports. The Series C round includes funding from new investors including Japanese insurer Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, the venture capital arm of software company Trimble (TRMB.O) and the venture capital arm of Japanese oil refiner Eneos (5020.T). Oxbotica has now raised about $225 million in total and the company said that additional investors are expected to sign up before the funding round closes in a few months. Once regulations catch up with the industry, the company will start running tests on limited routes for Ocado in 2025, Jackson said. "The proceeds (of this funding round) will really accelerate deployment for our commercial customers."

This is the first time Cruise has acknowledged the long-term need for remote human operators. Truly autonomous vehicles are far behind the optimistic rollout schedules predicted just a few years ago. In a June interview on YouTube, Musk said developing self-driving cars was "way harder than I originally thought, by far." Over time, those people will act as "air traffic controllers," supervising a growing number of autonomous cars. "Even decades from now you will not get to 100% truly autonomous vehicles," Kaveh added.

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