Founded in 2020, Ox Delivers designs electric trucks that can withstand the harshest environments in developing countries. They used PTC's cloud-native design platform, Onshape, and its built-in PDM to develop purpose-built, low-emission vehicles that provide rural smallholders with a highly reliable and cost-effective way to get perishable crops to market in a timely manner. Reliable transport means farmers can earn enough cash to grow the next crop – or it means that it minimizes the financial loss of goods that rot on the road before they reach buyers.
The startup is currently working on a pilot project in Rwanda to offer local businesses the opportunity to purchase the interior space of trucks in order to deliver goods to customers.
In this trial, all feedback from drivers and users will be fed back to Ox Deliver's 13-person engineering team at Leamington Springs. The team will use this data to create vehicles that are rugged, environmentally friendly, and ergonomic.
Kristiana Hamilton, Engineer at Ox Delivers, said: "We've done a lot of design and prototyping work to get to where we are today, and our electric prototype is currently in operation in Rwanda.
However, we are still in the development phase as we work to create a one-of-a-kind, low-emission truck that is fit for purpose and can be easily assembled overseas. ”
"Adopting Onshape as our core design platform was a game-changer for the team," she says. It's intuitive, easy to use, and able to iterate in real-time, which shortens lead times and ensures we can achieve our 'sprint' strategy for new designs."
Compared to larger businesses, we are only a small engineering unit, so we often have to work in different areas of the vehicle. The clarity of the information, as well as the ability to perform basic simulations, can quickly eliminate any costly modifications. And we can easily add field feedback to our modeling. ”
Currently, Ox delivers' focus is on designing a new chassis for the next generation of vehicles: a shift from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, a necessary change for the Rwandan market.
This work was carried out in parallel with other "sprint" efforts to develop a more driver-friendly cab and improve the suspension system to allow the vehicle to withstand muddy roads, curbs and steep slopes.
OnShape supports collaboration, which is essential for OX delivers. The team is currently using custom features (designed by other OnShape users) to add more functionality and create a physical model for testing.
Kristiana continued: "Our ** chain is very tight, including companies such as Potenza, Penso and Dana Incorporated. Working with PSO on the chassis meant we needed them to have access to our drawings and to be able to access our platform.
OnShape makes it very easy to share information and send it securely in the cloud. In addition, as we get closer to the final Ox truck, we will be able to use its built-in PDM capabilities to manage the ever-growing bill of materials.
For start-ups, this technology is affordable and provides you with strong organizational security and functionality. ”
Jon Hirschtick, Executive Vice President of PTC, said: "Ox Delivers is transforming the way goods are transported in emerging countries, bringing better lives and opportunities to local people. This is yet another fantastic innovation from the UK on a global scale, and we are delighted that Ox Delivers has been able to leverage OnShape to overcome some of the design challenges that naturally come with building a sustainable transport bespoke vehicle in a harsh environment." ”
OnShape is a cloud-native CAD tool with built-in PDM that helps businesses design better products faster, eliminate bottlenecks earlier, and streamline collaboration, while giving users the freedom to work on any device.
PTC's software is used by companies large and small, including well-known innovators such as DHL, Garmin, Ocado Technology and Withings.