Autonomous technology, where mobility is a subset, is the vision AppliedEV had on display at CES 2023. With a variety of robot arms and purpose-built, electric chassis, autonomous movement is clearly an important parameter driving the design of their driverless work vehicles. What differentiates the AppliedEV vehicles is that the purpose of the vehicles they are producing is to improve industrial productivity.
Julian Broadbent, AppliedEV’s Founder/CEO, explains that the focus of this relatively young company is the commercial application of autonomous technology; what they term a software-defined vehicle. At the core of their offering is what Broadbent calls their digital backbone or the software and electronics that make up their control system. They apply this core product to their various electric skateboards, which are further customized for specific applications (e.g., grabbers, grocery delivery kiosks, etc.).
Founded in 2015, AppliedEV has been generating revenue and adding value through the development of niche vehicles for specific work tasks. Broadbent explains that partnerships, such as the one that they have with Oxbotica for a grocery delivery program in Europe, leverage AppliedEV’s capabilities. It also helps them customize vehicles to a given application, such as applying sensors that work in a dusty mine versus a controlled environment, such as a warehouse.
And although these are work vehicles, human-machine interactions are a critical factor in their success. Broadbent emphasizes that safety is paramount. And although there are no drivers or passengers to protect, they are implementing features for communicating with and protecting people who are outside the vehicles.
Long-term, he sees their technology forming the basis for others branded autonomous vehicles. By providing the base technology, he envisions the OEMs customizing the final product to meet specific requirements. For instance, their partnership with and investment from Suzuki will allow scaling of the platform for more applications with mass appeal, such as shared, electric, and autonomous shuttles.
Interview Highlights #
00:13 – Broadbent provides an overview of AppliedEV’s offering.
00:49 – Broadbent elaborates on the various ways they are building safety into their products.
01:51 – AppliedEV is working on a project to autonomously deliver groceries in a European capital city.
02:39 – Many of the operational design domains are in private locales, away from public areas. Applications include industrial, surveillance, and mining. Broadbent points out that the era of “free money” is over and that companies need to generate revenue (ideally with profits). Automation improves the bottom line for AppliedEV’s customers.
03:57 – They are effectively creating cobots to help existing workers be more productive. They are trying to eliminate the dirty, difficult, and dangerous parts of given jobs.
04:29 – Broadbent discusses their partnership with Suzuki and what that means for the scaling of AppliedEV’s product. Oxbotica is an example of another partner that they are working with within Europe for the grocery delivery program.
06:13 – Customization of the software and sensors to meet a customer’s specific needs is a big part of their value.
07:26 Broadbent addresses some of the technology that powers their vehicles and the resulting capabilities, such as there is no front or back in terms of the drive train.
08:56 – Broadbent gives his view on how their technology will find its way into shared, electric shuttles and how it will scale. He suggests the evolution to shared electric autonomous shuttle services will happen in a crawl, walk, run sort of approach.
10:32 – Their commercial projects are part of the crawling stage and are providing the foundation for future growth.
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