Oil giant BP has successfully completed an autonomous vehicle trial at its Lingen refinery in Germany, working with Oxford-based Oxbotica, a global leader in autonomous vehicle software.
The trial was a world-first in the energy sector, with the vehicle travelling over 180km fully autonomously, safely navigating the extensive and complex environment of the Lingen refinery, including busy junctions, narrow paths, railway crossings, and multiple terrains, during both day and night and in unpredictable weather conditions.
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Oxbotica was able to deploy its autonomy software platform and integrate with the existing infrastructure within two hours of arriving on site.
Oxbotica trials at Lingen Germany Picture BP/Oxbotica
Following the success of the trial, BP aims to deploy its first autonomous vehicle for monitoring operations at the refinery by the end of the year.
The self-driving vehicles will improve safety by increasing the monitoring for faulty equipment and security threats, making it more frequent and around the clock.
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The announcement follows BP’s recent $13m equity investment in Oxbotica. Ozgur Tohumcu, CEO at Oxbotica said: “As part of our first refinery trial in Lingen, we showcased how autonomy improves safety, reduces emissions and improves productivity.”
Morag Watson, SVP digital science and engineering, at BP, said: “This relationship is an important example of how bp is leveraging automation and digital technology that we believe can improve safety, increase efficiency and decrease carbon emissions in support of our net zero ambition.
Oxbotica trials for BP at Lingen Germany Picture BP/Oxbotica
“Lingen has 30 km of roads. Intelligent technology like this helps us make the incremental but equally critical improvements to our operations, so we can continue to focus on delivering the energy the world needs in the way that it wants.
"I am looking forward to working with Oxbotica to explore how we can unlock the full potential of autonomy.”
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