OX Delivers, UK-based emobility start-up, has received a £1.2 million ($1,5m) funding grant from Energy Catalyst to ready its next-generation affordable all-electric OX4 truck for production in Rwanda.
OX Delivers will start building the third generation OX4 truck in March and the funds will help it to expand the rollout of its transport-as-a-service offering across the Global South, starting on the African continent.
According to Simon Davis, Founder & CEO of OX Delivers: “We are delighted to not only receive funding from Energy Catalyst but also have the OX Delivers transport-as-a-service model validated as part of the solution required to deliver clean energy, advance economic growth and transform lives in the Global South.”
“We will leverage this grant to demonstrate the benefits of a low-carbon energy ‘charge-point’ infrastructure and provide rural communities with affordable transport. This will support the electrification of two of our current depots to create flagship projects which will further strengthen the OX Delivers business case.”
OX Delivers argue that the current transport solutions in emerging markets are widely inefficient and expensive, resulting in issues such as increased goods cost, wasted produce, and inequitable trade. By delivering affordable, clean transport into emerging markets, the OX ecosystem will create a self-reinforcing cycle of economic growth and social impact.
The OX ecosystem combines goods shipment with financial, trading and marketing services – all enabled by our purpose-built technology. This allows OX, its users, and their local communities to access new markets, increase their income, and develop new business opportunities. Therefore creating more demand for OX and support for everyone within the ecosystem.
With OX Delivers’ unique transport-as-a-service business model, customers pay only for the space they need on a kilogram-per-kilometre basis. The service is easily accessible via an app or toll-free number. Since its launch, OX has seen strong demand and is now supporting more than 4000 customers including smallholder farmers and traders, with 80% of orders coming from repeat customers.
The original OX Truck, designed by Professor Gordon Murray in 2016, was the world’s first flat-pack truck and the first vehicle designed specifically for Africa in forty years. The OX team has continuously advanced the truck design, evolving it into the first purpose-designed electric truck for the Global South. It is ten times cheaper to run than existing alternatives and will transform transport services across the continent.
The OX4 features design updates such as improved driving position and greater operator visibility as well as chassis improvements. OX Delivers has also developed a proprietary vehicle control unit enabling the creation of advanced software for more efficient control of the electric powertrain. Full technical details of the OX4 will be announced in due course.
A 20-strong design, engineering and production team are finalising the plans for the OX4 truck at the OX Delivers global headquarters in Leamington Spa in the UK. The build process of the first examples will commence in March, prior to delivery in knock-down kit format for assembly in local markets.
OX Delivers has garnered support from angel investors who have collectively invested around $10 million in equity. OX Delivers has also secured grants from the UK government and USAID through various programmes such as the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK.
