Japan Post Capital Invests in Applied Electric Vehicles, Developer of a Software Control Platform Designed For Level 4 Autonomous Driving

Applied EV develops the Digital Backbone®, a universal software control platform designed for Level 4 autonomous driving, built on an electric vehicle foundation.

The Digital Backbone® centralizes functions that have traditionally been distributed across each vehicle—control, perception, and decision-making—providing a unified architecture that can be integrated into a wide range of platforms, including passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and specialized-purpose vehicles.

In addition, Applied EV offers the Blanc Robot, a cabin-less tabletop EV designed for adaptability across various applications.

This enables rapid deployment of autonomous operations for logistics, infrastructure inspection, public services, and more, allowing customers to build tailored solutions efficiently.

Through this software-centric approach, Applied EV delivers a highly flexible architecture capable of meeting diverse operational and commercialization needs.

**Comment from the CEO, Applied EV ** Julian Broadbent, Chief Executive Officer, Applied EV

"Applied EV is deeply committed to delivering autonomous vehicle fleet solutions for businesses facing driver shortages and rising operational costs. These challenges affect communities that rely on the success and sustainability of local industries. Japan Post Group has long played a vital role in supporting every community through its postal and logistics services. We are proud to partner with Japan Post Group and our technology collaborators to develop autonomous logistics solutions for Japan."

**Comment from the Investment Division, Japan Post Capital ** Shintaro Igata, Senior Manager, Investment Division, Japan Post Capital

"The evolution of autonomous driving technology is an important theme that will fundamentally transform social infrastructure—ranging from logistics and regional mobility to disaster response.

The team at Applied EV brings together deep expertise in both vehicle engineering and software, and is dedicated to solving real challenges faced by local communities and customer operations from the ground up.

Through this investment, Japan Post Group aims to work closely with Applied EV to address regional and logistics challenges and to jointly build sustainable, next-generation mobility and logistics solutions.”