| Oxa (formerly Oxbotica) | |
| Type: | Scale-up |
| Founded: | 2014 |
| Hq Location City: | Oxford |
| Hq Location Country: | England |
| Area Served: | UK, Europe, US, Asia |
| Key People: | Gavin Jackson (CEO) |
| Industry: | Software, automotive |
| Products: | Self-driving cars, autonomy |
| Num Employees: | 200-300 |
| Num Employees Year: | 2023 |
Oxa (formerly Oxbotica) is an autonomous vehicle software company, headquartered in Oxfordshire, England, and founded by Paul Newman and Ingmar Posner.[1]
In 2013, Newman and Posner led the RobotCar UK project as part of Oxford University's Department of Engineering Science Mobile Robotics Group.[2] RobotCar became the first autonomous vehicle on UK roads.[3]
In 2014, the pair used the newly developed technology to found Oxbotica.[4]
Oxbotica has raised over $18 million to date and is backed by the IP Group, Parkwalk Advisors and AXA XL.[5] In 2018, Uber's former Head of Business EMEA Fraser Robinson was appointed to the board of directors.[6]
In May 2019, Ozgur Tohumcu replaced Dr Graeme Smith as Oxbotica's CEO.[7] Also in 2019, the company opened an office in Toronto, Canada.[8]
In January 2021, Oxbotica announced it had raised $47 million in a Series B round.[9]
In August 2021, the company achieved a safety landmark as the first company to have its autonomy safety case assessed by BSI (British Standards Institution) against the requirements of the UK Code of Practice 2019, PAS 1881:2020 and PAS 1883:2020, certifying the safety conformity of its autonomous vehicle trials and testing.[10] The assessment was completed as part of Project Endeavour, the UK's first multi-city demonstration of autonomous vehicle services and capability.[11]
In December 2021, Gavin Jackson was named CEO.[12]
In January 2023, the company raised $140 million in a Series C round.[13]
In May 2023, the company changed its name to Oxa.[14]
Oxbotica's full stack, end-to-end Universal Autonomy software is both vehicle and platform-agnostic, with no dependence on external infrastructure such as GPS.[15] It can be deployed in any environment and on any terrain.[16] In addition to underground uses, the technology is also useful in natural canyons and forests, where GPS signals are weak or non-existent, but also in "urban canyons" - cities with tall buildings that obstruct GPS signals for proper navigation.[17]
The LUTZ Pathfinder pod had its first public demonstration in February 2015 in Milton Keynes.[18] The Government-funded project was designed to ensure that autonomous vehicles could comply with the Highway Code.[19] The pod featured autonomous control software from Oxbotica, including 19 sensors, cameras, radar and Lidar.[20]
As part of the GATEway Project in 2017, Oxbotica trialled seven autonomous shuttle buses in Greenwich, navigating a two-mile riverside path near London's O2 Arena on a route also used by pedestrians and cyclists.[21] Oxbotica ran the UK's first trial of autonomous grocery deliveries with British online supermarket Ocado in London as the next evolution of the GATEway Project.[22]
In 2018, Oxbotica deployed its autonomous vehicle software at London's Gatwick Airport, which subsequently became the first airport in the world to trial an autonomous shuttle service.[23] The electric-powered autonomous vehicles transported staff via airside roads between the airport's North and South terminals.[24] An airside trial of Oxbotica's technology was then successfully completed at Heathrow Airport in partnership with IAG Cargo, the first airside trial of an autonomous vehicle at a UK airport.[25] The Oxbotica-designed CargoPod ran autonomously along a cargo route around the airside perimeter for three weeks.[26]
As part of the UK Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles-funded DRIVEN project, Oxbotica is developing and deploying a fleet of Ford Fusion autonomous vehicles running in both London and Oxford on public roads, and in conjunction with its consortium partners, running real-time insurance.[27] AXA XL is partnering with Oxbotica on the development of smart insurance products using Oxbotica's autonomy technology to improve road safety.[28]
In 2018, Oxbotica announced a partnership with London taxi firm Addison Lee to develop and deploy autonomous taxis in the city of London by 2021.[29] A 3D street mapping exercise is already being conducted in London's Canary Wharf.[30]
In 2019, Oxbotica deployed a fleet of their autonomous technology within Ford Mondeo cars on public roads in Stratford, London to test their use in city environments.[31] This £13.2m project is in collaboration with The DRIVEN Project to develop self-driving cars.[32]
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