INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
AutoX, the Hong Kong and San Jose, Calif.-based autonomous vehicle technology company, is pushing past its grocery delivery roots and into
Under the exclusive partnership, AutoX will integrate its autonomous drive technology into a next-generation electric vehicle inspired by
Testing of the autonomous NEVs vehicles will begin in the third quarter of 2019
Professor X, noted that this particular vehicle is ideal for an autonomous taxi service because it is purpose-built for this specific
companies ultimately want to deploy a large fleet of robotaxis globally.The partnership with NEVs is the latest sign that AutoX has broader
ambitions for its autonomous vehicle technology than delivery services
AutoX launched in 2016 and was initially focused on using self-driving vehicles for delivering packages, namely groceries
Last August, the startup kicked off a grocery delivery and mobile store pilot in a limited area in San Jose in partnership with
GrubMarket.com and local high-end grocery store DeMartini Orchard.But more recently, the company, which has raised about $58 million from
venture and strategic investors, has expanded its plans
The company now wants to supply manufacturers with autonomous vehicle technology and launch its own robotaxi service.In June, AutoX became
the second company to receive permission from California regulators to transport passengers in its robotaxis
AutoX is calling its California robotaxi service xTaxi.The California Public Utilities Commission has also granted Pony.ai, Waymo and Zoox
The company does use light detection and ranging radar, known as lidar
But instead of loading up its self-driving vehicles with numerous expensive lidar units, AutoX relies more on cameras, which it argues have
It will operate in the same operational design domain as the delivery service in San Jose, an area of about five square miles
But the company clearly has ambitions to expand both in size and geographic reach
AutoX has more than 115 employees, and plans to hire more than 50 people this year.The company is also working with San Jose city government
to launch another pilot downtown
It has yet to reveal details, although the pilot could launch as early as next month.AutoX also has a permit to operate a robotaxi service
AutoX is already working with the Chinese company to integrate its AV tech into BYD vehicles.
