Image credits: OX Delivers
Warwick, England-based OX Delivers, an automotive company developing EV trucks for Africa, announced that the UK Government has awarded it a £8.5M (approximately €10M) grant.
The grant has been awarded by the APC (Advanced Propulsion Centre). The non-profit organisation facilitates UK government funding to R&D projects supporting the delivery of net-zero emission vehicles.
Simon Davis, Managing Director of OX Delivers, says, “We are thrilled to announce further success for OX Delivers as recipients of this grant award. It is yet another example of continued confidence in our vision to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable transport alongside tangible social benefits for our customers. We are grateful to the APC for their backing. This funding is vital in accelerating the development of our innovative low-carbon technology and business model.”
The UK company and its collaborators, including Dana, Potenza, Coventry University, and FLAGS Software, have begun working on the Clean Logistics for Emerging African Nations (CLEAN) project to develop the purpose-designed OX electric truck.
The total project investment will be £17.1M.
OX Electric truck
The OX truck is designed to tackle challenging terrain found in emerging markets and will be designed to be shipped flat pack and assembled in-country.
To ensure the truck is accessible for rural entrepreneurs, OX Delivers maintains ownership of the vehicles and sells space on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Maintaining ownership of the trucks shakes up the traditional automotive model, which typically focuses on meeting a price point on sale. At OX, the design and engineering focus is on lifetime ownership costs.
The company is now focusing on Rwanda, the location for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
OX Delivers: What you need to know
Based out of Warwick, UK, OX Delivers manufactures electric vehicles that are capable of managing some of the world’s most challenging terrains.
The company’s mission is to deliver affordable transport in emerging markets, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of economic growth and social impact.
To this endOX Delivers is developing the world’s first clean-transport ecosystem that combines goods shipment with financial, trading and marketing services.
APC Chief Executive Ian Constance says, “The projects receiving today’s investment highlight the breadth of technologies needed to help the UK accelerate to net-zero emissions. They’re reimagining not just vehicles but transport in general. For example, OX Delivers already enables traders in rural Rwanda to transport more goods to market with their mobility-as-a-service model using diesel trucks.”
He adds, “This supports CO2 reduction in Rwanda and provides sustainable logistics for some of the world’s most unforgiving road conditions. Global economic and environmental benefits will ensue, strengthening highly-skilled jobs and green growth, and radiating from a UK manufacturing base.”
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