Opel Group Chairman Karl-Thomas Neumann image: Opel

Apex.AI — a startup building autonomous vehicle software that emerged out of stealth with $15.5 million funding November last year — has added German automobile industry veteran Karl-Thomas Neumann to its board. Neumann previously served as CEO of Continental AG and as head of Volkswagen’s China business. He currently holds the Chairman position at German automobile manufacturer Opel.

Neumann’s addition to Apex.AI’s board comes ahead of a planned expansion into Germany. Apex.AI plans to open an office in Munich by July. The startup aims to round up work on its product — a self-driving software stack built on the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS) — by year end and further submit it to German inspection firm TÜV for approval by next year [according to CEO Jan Becker in a statement to Reuters].

(From middle) Karl-Thomas Neumann and GM Cruise CEO Dan Ammann (right) image: Opel

Becker says the software could be deployed by carmakers worldwide once it gets certified. Apex.AI wants to license the software and also charge for support services, with an exact pricing model currently in the works.

Apex.AI is notably backed by the likes of Toyota AI Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Canaan, and Lightspeed.

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