Australian autonomous vehicle maker Applied EV has launched its 6th Generation Blanc Robot, which will be ready for deployment with partners in mid-2025.
The Blanc Robot technology is a unique vehicle designed for autonomous-only operations. It features no cabin and a configurable table-top chassis capable of suiting a variety of jobs.
The body structures of the machines will be manufactured by Suzuki Motor Corporation, with the 6th Generation Blanc Robot based on the Suzuki long wheelbase ‘Jimny’ platform designed to reduce production costs and enable high volume production.
Applied EV CEO Julian Broadbent says the demand for non-passenger autonomous vehicles is reaching its inflection point.
“The demand for autonomous vehicle fleets that integrate seamlessly into both emerging logistics companies and established enterprises has never been stronger,” Broadbent says.
“While transportation businesses are eager to adopt cutting-edge technologies, they require complete, real and actual ‘solutions’ to drive meaningful implementation at scale.
“Applied EV, in collaboration with our partners, has addressed this challenge with a turnkey solution.”
All functions and features of the Applied EV Blanc Robot are software controlled, including three Applied EV secure interfaces, its autonomous and AI driving software Applied EV Drive API, non-vehicle driving function software Applied EV Space App API, and its secure data and diagnostics for third party applications platform Applied EV Cloud API.
Completion of the first 100 bodies is ready to commence, and Broadbent says there is potential to significantly raise that number.
“The Blanc Robot marks the first purpose-built autonomous vehicle released for scale, produced by Suzuki and running on Applied EV software,” he says.
“The first 100 production units are underway in Australia, with the capacity to scale to tens of thousands to meet demand.”
Applied EV is headquartered in Australia but completes operations across Europe, Asia and Oceania and has a customer and partner base that includes renowned brands Suzuki, NXP and Toshiba.
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