eve autonomy’s journey began four years ago in a Yamaha Motor factory in Japan. The factory was using autonomous mobile robots and automated guided vehicles to move components within the premises, but these systems often faltered when navigating narrow spaces.

Realizing the need for a more practical alternative, Yamaha saw the untapped potential of EV golf carts. It partnered with TIER IV, a Japanese startup renowned for its open-source autonomous driving software, to devise the ideal solution. This collaboration harnessed the best of both worlds, leading to the creation of a high-performing, reliable, and user-centric autonomous transportation service—eve auto.

The novel fleet of EV carts, enhanced with cuttingedge autonomous driving software, is capable of both indoor and outdoor operations and significantly alleviates the challenges of transporting goods between facilities.
“A combination of long-term experience and mass production capabilities enable us to deliver products that are robust in power and flexible in use,” says Ryosuke Hoshino, chief executive officer, eve autonomy.

The company also offers post-installation route editing, operational support, and vehicle maintenance, taking a holistic approach to autonomous transportation solutions. This end-to-end solution facilitates a smooth transition to autonomous operations and ensures an efficient and uninterrupted flow of processes.

A Comprehensive Software Ecosystem to Streamline Operations

While some providers offer high-quality autonomous driving systems, they often lack a full software stack to support the entire range of functionalities required for seamless autonomous operations. eve autonomy offers an all-inclusive software package that includes autonomous driving software, cloud-based fleet management software, web applications, and backend system APIs.

This software ecosystem is regularly updated, ensuring clients always have access to the latest features, enhancements, and bug fixes to improve the autonomous system’s performance, efficiency, and reliability over time. With this solution, clients no longer need to source software from multiple providers, which could lead to compatibility issues and added costs.

In facilities where many autonomous vehicles are deployed to handle various tasks, managing them efficiently is essential for smooth and productive operations. eve autonomy’s fleet management system plays a crucial role here.

By integrating seamlessly with the customer’s existing database via server APIs, it becomes a seamless extension of the facility’s overall operations and enables a smooth flow of data between the autonomous vehicles and other systems within the facility, allowing for a cohesive and interconnected environment. It empowers operators with better control and visibility over their autonomous vehicle fleet, leading to improved productivity, cost-effectiveness, and overall operational efficiency.

The open-source nature of its software also brings the benefits of a global community of developers who continuously innovate and build upon existing tools and applications. This symbiotic relationship allows eve autonomy to benefit from the community’s developments and contribute back, ensuring a cost-effective way to provide their customers with the latest autonomous driving technology.

Minimizing Downtime with Rapid Deployment

eve autonomy’s implementation process eliminates the need for traditional, labor-intensive installation procedures and guides clients from route planning to the commencement of operations. Through data measurement conducted in a customer’s facility, a detailed 3D map is created and a route is designed tailored to the environment. The next step involves thorough testing and route adjustments, allowing for flexibility in modifying the route and stopping positions to adapt to driving conditions.

“We enable operations to commence in as little as one week, minimizing downtime and disruption,” says Yusuke Nakayama, COO of eve autonomy.

Adaptable Solutions for Dynamic Operational Needs

The EV carts deliver exceptional value with their impressive specifications, including a towing capacity of 1.5 tons with the compact body, a steady speed of 10 km/h. Their versatility is showcased by their capability to function under challenging conditions and in diverse terrains. They can handle slopes of up to 17 percent and bumps of up to ±30mm and ensures smooth movement even in rainy and windy environments. The vehicles remain adaptable during nighttime operations, making them an ideal choice for businesses with round-the-clock work schedules. This exceptional combination of strength, endurance, and adaptability guarantees seamless and efficient operations.

The carts also exhibit remarkable flexibility by allowing users to link them with peripheral equipment using eve auto CONNECT. This service connects vehicles and equipment using a dedicated Bluetooth device. The system can integrate seamlessly with existing client infrastructure like shutters, patrol lights, and conveyors, without modifications. The adaptability of the driving system is enhanced by the web based 3D map editor and eve auto DASH, a user-friendly operation management software that enables remote vehicle summoning and arrival notifications.

By using 3D map editor, users can easily adjust the driving route, stopping position, and driving speed according to their needs. The system’s attention area feature is especially useful as it can detect objects in any area and automatically halt the vehicle, significantly enhancing safety measures. eve autonomy presents an equally flexible subscription model that can assist businesses in managing their logistics costs. It offers an alternative to fixed capital costs, allowing variable expenses that change based on use. This flexible approach enables businesses to adjust the number of operating units in response to demand fluctuations to stay within budget.

Many factories benefit greatly from eve autonomy’s capable and flexible solutions. A case in point is Fuji Electric’s Suzuka Factory that sought a solution to alter transportation routes in response to layout changes, and a system that would reduce employee workload. The factory relied primarily on forklifts, and had no previous experience using tow vehicles. eve autonomy’s EVs brought about a transformative shift in their operations.

The client initially decided to consolidate its logistics functions internally, starting with the integration of external warehouses located in the same district. Amid continuous layout modifications, eve auto’s adaptability became a key selling point. The EVs did not require road markings and could instantly adjust to route changes, which proved to be instrumental when updating the logistics functions. More importantly, for a factory operating in harsh weather conditions, the burden on workers was lightened considerably.

Currently, the factory has two eve autonomy vehicles in use, transporting finished products and parts while maintaining a timed pickup service at designated stops. Looking ahead, it aims to evolve into a smart factory where production volume dictates the pickup points and quantities, with everything connected.

Similar success stories are attributed to the highly efficient team behind these innovative solutions. It not only lightens employee workload, but provides a highly adaptable system that can respond to dynamic operational needs.

Leveraging open source software, advanced technologies, and a comprehensive suite of operational tools, eve autonomy delivers a continuously evolving, cost-effective service, ensuring customers always have access to the latest advancements in autonomous driving technology. By combining these aspects with its robust operational support system and flexible subscription models, it is well-positioned to meet and exceed diverse client needs, transforming how businesses handle their transportation logistics—ultimately contributing to the development of smarter, more efficient factories.