Applied EV Presses Ahead with Autonomous Electric Vehicles in Australia - CleanTechnica

Applied EV, a Melbourne-based startup, is advancing autonomous electric vehicle (EV) technology in Australia with a recent AU$40 million funding round from prominent investors, including Suzuki, which holds a 4% stake. The company’s flagship platform, the Blanc Robot, is an autonomous electric vehicle built on a modified Suzuki Jimny chassis. Designed as a cabinless, flat-chassis vehicle, the Blanc Robot is purpose-built for logistics and industrial transport, featuring Applied EV’s proprietary Digital Backbone control system that enables scalable autonomy. Applied EV plans to deploy 100 sixth-generation autonomous vehicles soon, adding to the 20 already in use, primarily for confined tasks such as dust suppression in mining and inter-warehouse logistics. Applied EV aims to scale its fleet to thousands over the next five years, targeting low-speed urban work and addressing labor shortages in rural and shrinking population areas, notably through a partnership with Japan Post Capital to improve logistics in Japanese rural cities. CEO Julian Broadbent highlights the opportunity to leverage Australia