Mobileye and Udelv have announced that Mobileye’s self-driving system will be fitted to the next-generation Udelv autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) called Transporters. The companies plan to produce more than 35,000 Transporters with Mobileye Drive by 2028, with commercial operations beginning in 2023. This news is believed to be the first large-scale deal for a self-driving system, and it signals that Mobileye Drive is ready for commercial deployment in solutions involving the autonomous movement of goods and people.
“Our deal with Udelv is significant for its size, scope, and rapid deployment timeline, demonstrating our ability to deliver Mobileye Drive for commercial use now and in volume,” said Prof. Amnon Shashua, Mobileye President and CEO. “COVID-19 has accelerated demand for autonomous goods delivery, and we are delighted to partner with Udelv to address this demand in the near term.”
“Mobileye is the only company providing a full-stack self-driving system with commercial viability and scale today,” added Daniel Laury, CEO and Co-founder of Udelv. “The readiness of Mobileye Drive, along with its vast map coverage of North America, Europe, and Asia, will allow us to ramp up the production and deployment of Udelv Transporters and rapidly offer the service at scale to our expanding list of customers.”
Udelv was founded in California in 2017 by Laury and CTO Akshat Patel to revolutionize the logistics space with its autonomous delivery vans for last- and middle-mile delivery on public roads. The company successfully accomplished what it says is the first-ever autonomous delivery on public roads in 2018. It has since completed over 20,000 deliveries for multiple merchants in California, Arizona, and Texas—and is preparing for expansion in many other states. Udelv’s focus on autonomous vehicles, paired with its uPod delivery technology, enables long-range and high-capacity deliveries that are eco, business, and customer friendly.
Last-mile delivery is the most expensive aspect of distribution, accounting for 53% of the overall cost of goods. At the same time, consumers are buying more and more goods online, which is expected to raise urban last-mile delivery volume by 75 to 80% by 2030 and require 36% more delivery vehicles. And a shortage of drivers is making it difficult for companies to keep pace. It is a service model that is ripe for improvement.
Udelv’s customers expect Transporters to dramatically improve the efficiency of last- and middle-mile delivery services for everything from baked goods and auto parts to groceries and medical supplies.
Donlen, one of America’s largest commercial fleet management companies at the forefront of fleet management innovation and technology, has placed the first pre-order for 1000 Transporters. This pre-order is believed to be the largest to date for an autonomous delivery vehicle.
“The combination of Udelv’s zero-emissions Transporter and automated delivery management system with Mobileye Drive will enable sweeping delivery cost reductions, make our roads safer, and lower carbon emissions across America,” said Tom Callahan, President of Donlen.
Mobileye-driven Transporters will be capable of L4 self-driving for point-to-point operation. Udelv’s proprietary teleoperations system will allow for the maneuvering of the vehicles at the edges of the mission in parking lots, loading zones, apartment complexes, and private roads.
The Transporter is comprised of an electric skateboard, cargo robotics, vehicle firmware, an autonomous delivery management system, and the autonomous Mobileye Drive. The electric skateboard’s range and full vehicle GVW will be released later, but it includes DC fast charging; a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h); is ISO 26262 compliant; and has steer-, brake-, and throttle-by-wire. Vehicle dimensions will also be released later.
The autonomous delivery management system features fleet logic control and ultra-low latency teleoperations and telematics. The latter allows for fleet-level monitoring and intervention, 360-degree camera and sensor streams, a proprietary multi-layered failure mode intervention system (FMIS), responsive control smoothing and adaptive data streams, and 4G/5G SIMs from cellular carriers to increase bandwidth and reliability. Other capabilities are mobile services—with front ends, mobile applications, and client portals—and a route optimizer.
Mobileye Drive comprises EyeQ system-on-chip-based SAE Level 4 (L4) compute, sensors, and software; the company’s proprietary Road Experience Management AV mapping solution; and Responsibility Sensitive Safety-based autonomous driving policy. Udelv will perform the integration with its delivery management system, with Mobileye providing technical oversight. Mobileye will also provide over-the-air software support.
As one of Udelv’s early customers, Mike Odell, President and CEO of XL Parts and Marubeni Automotive Aftermarket Holdings, said: “We placed our trust in Udelv’s technology two years ago and are thrilled to witness the progress this company has made in such a short period of time. XL Parts remains committed to expanding its partnership with Udelv and to being one of the first clients for the Transporters.”
The deal with Udelv advances Mobileye’s global mobility-as-a-service ambitions, validating the company’s technology and business approach. Mobileye plans to deploy autonomous shuttles with Transdev ATS and Lohr Group beginning in Europe. Mobileye also plans to begin operating an autonomous ride-hailing service in Israel in early 2022.
