Australian vehicle software company Applied EV’s partnership with Suzuki continues to gain strength.
The start-up, which was founded in 2015 and is led by former GM global expansion director Julian Broadbent, now has over 150 employees and is targeting a range of sectors including mining, industrial, logistics and agriculture.
Dust suppression, haul trucks and loaders for transporting materials efficiently in hazardous environments are designed to make mining safer and more productive, while for industrial use, autonomous goods and material handlers can navigate large sites, moving goods between production lines and storage areas with minimal human intervention.
In agriculture, use-cases include plowing, seeding and crop monitoring using GPS-guided navigation, enabling precision farming and reducing labor costs.
Just under two years ago, Broadbent announced the initial memorandum of understanding from the multinational car maker to co-develop the sixth generation of its autonomous vehicle Blanc Robot.
Applied EV’s sixth vehicle saw the company’s technology applied on top of Suzuki’s 4WD Jimny.
“We’ve built the vehicles to be fairly sophisticated machines in every aspect. And as we’ve seen the ability to move to more dependency on software, we’re seeing opportunities to take costs out of the platform by using readily available components that can be upgraded and modified to run on software,” Broadbent said at the time.
Last month, the company announced that the Applied EV 6th Generation Blanc Robot will be ready for deployment with strategic partners in mid-2025.
A game-changer in autonomous vehicles
Applied EV has introduced its latest innovation, the Blanc Robot™, a fully autonomous vehicle designed without a cabin and featuring a configurable tabletop chassis. Built to tackle global driver shortages, the Blanc Robot is ideal for last-mile logistics and industrial tasks considered dull, dirty, difficult, or dangerous for traditional drivers.
The company is set to complete the assembly of its first 100 Blanc Robot vehicles, marking a major milestone towards mass production. These vehicles feature body structures manufactured by Suzuki Motor Corporation, now shipped from Japan.
The 6th Generation Blanc Robot is built on Suzuki’s long-wheelbase “Jimny” platform, which significantly lowers production costs and supports high-volume manufacturing. The autonomous Blanc Robot™ offers double or triple operational uptime compared to traditional vehicles, delivering improved cost-efficiency and reduced carbon emissions in large-scale operations.
As a software-defined machine, the Blanc Robot relies on a safety-rated software and hardware architecture. Its features are controlled through three proprietary interfaces: the Applied EV Drive API for autonomous driving, the Applied EV App Space API for non-driving functions, and the Applied EV Cloud API for secure data and diagnostics integration with third-party applications.
“The demand for autonomous vehicle fleets that integrate seamlessly into both emerging logistics companies and established enterprises has never been stronger,” Broadbent said.
“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. Powered by software, our vehicles come in a range of sizes and can be tailored for unique autonomous driving applications.
"The Blanc Robot marks the first purpose-built autonomous vehicle released for scale, produced by Suzuki and running on Applied EV software. The first 100 production units are underway in Australia, with the capacity to scale to tens of thousands to meet demand.”
Autonomous vehicle market at a turning point
The autonomous vehicle market is undergoing significant changes, with technological advancements facilitating a shift from specialised deployments to more efficient and cost-effective fleets. Applied EV is contributing to this transition by developing safety-rated, mass-producible autonomous vehicles.
The release of Applied EV’s 6th Generation Blanc Robot, developed in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation, marks a notable step towards the scaling and commercialisation of non-passenger autonomous vehicles that could have a major cost and safetyimpact on the mining industry.
About Applied EV
Applied EV pioneers autonomous-ready solutions for transport innovation.
The company is redefining transport with its Software-Defined Vehicle solutions designed for autonomy and programmability. The company has established a global presence spanning Europe, Asia and Oceania, leveraging its world-class capabilities.
Collaborating with industry giants such as Suzuki, NXP (NASDAQ:NXPI), and Toshiba, Applied EV integrates its innovative Digital Backbone™ technology into vehicles of various sizes for applications in logistics, agriculture, and mining.
At the heart of its offering is Digital Backbone™, a centralised software and electronic control system that sets new safety benchmarks for vehicles operating in dynamic environments. Built on Applied EV’s proprietary software and hardware, the system facilitates rapid development and configuration of software applications through its programmable API (Application Programming Interface (NASDAQ:TILE)) within an SDK ( Software (ETR:SOWGn) Development Kit).
The company’s commitment to excellence is reflected in its compliance with ISO 9001, ISO/SAE 21434, and IEC62443 standards. Additionally, a TÜV SÜD preliminary audit has outlined a roadmap to achieving ISO 26262 certification, paving the way for mass production and further advancing the safety and reliability of Applied EV’s solutions.