ZF Friedrichshafen partners to develop autonomous shuttles

German automotive industry supplier ZF Friedrichshafen is to invest in British autonomous vehicle software startup Oxbotica to jointly develop driving systems for pod-like shuttles which will be able to transport people and goods.

According to the companies, ZF is taking a 5% stake in Oxford-based Oxbotica and will take a seat on its advisory board.

The investment is the latest in a series of deals and projects that ZF, which had 2020 revenue of €32.6 billion, has announced that are aimed at helping the German auto supplier bolster its expertise in autonomous-driving technologies.

“Together with Oxbotica, we are developing self-driving systems for autonomous people and cargo movers addressing the current challenges in public transport and logistics,” ZF executive vice president for autonomous mobility systems Torsten Gollewski said in a statement.

Following the investment announcement, the company also revealed that it had entered into a strategic partnership with German train service provider DB Regio to bring highly automated and autonomous bus shuttles onto the roads in Germany more quickly.

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Both companies see great opportunities in using driverless shuttle systems to relieve traffic in the future and offer safe, efficient, and environmentally-friendly mobility.

As estimated by Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Regio, more than 30,000 highly automated or autonomous shuttle buses will be needed in Germany by 2035 to strengthen local public transport (ÖPNV) for the future.

Therefore, DB Regio AG and ZF Friedrichshafen AG signed a cooperation agreement at the beginning of October 2021 to develop regular service of highly automated and autonomously driving shuttles in Germany.

The focus is on regions and cities that already rely on the services of DB Regio and do not operate their own public transport – but also on cooperation with large cities and districts as well as new areas of application such as airports or amusement parks.

"With its many years of expertise in local-specific issues of urban, municipal and inter-municipal passenger transport, DB Regio is the ideal partner for us to offer our autonomous shuttle systems to regions, cities and municipalities as a tailor-made service in each case," said Torsten Gollewski.

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