ESOX unveils completed X2 UGV for military testing

ESOX Group has completed development of its X2 unmanned ground vehicle and opened the platform to client pilot programs, the company announced this week.

The X2 uses four in-wheel electric motors, called Theron motors, delivering a combined 1,000 newton-meters of torque directly to the wheels. ESOX said the design eliminates the gearbox and driveshaft found in conventional electric powertrains, components the company said lose torque in mud, sand, snow and rubble under heavy payloads.

“The new X2 solves this Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) core weaknesses with four Theron in-wheel motors delivering combined torque of 1000 Nm, 250 Nm per corner and that torque goes directly to the wheel, eliminating the gearbox and driveshaft entirely,” said Devan Roberts, Vice President of Defense Programs at ESOX Group.

The X2 runs on an 8 kilowatt-hour solid-state battery pack split into two 4 kilowatt-hour modules. ESOX said the pack carries twice the energy density of the lithium-ion cells currently used in fielded military ground vehicles.

The platform weighs 300 kilograms (661 pounds) and has been tested carrying payloads up to 300 kilograms, according to ESOX. The company said it projects the X2 could carry payloads up to 600 kilograms (1,323 pounds) with further development. ESOX said the Theron motors run cold and operate near-silent, which the company said keeps the vehicle’s thermal and acoustic signature low.

The X2 runs on ESOX OS, the company’s software layer that allows the vehicle to be simulated digitally before hardware is built. Once fielded, ESOX said the platform streams telematics and sensor data and receives over-the-air software updates. The company said sensor packages, autonomy modes, communications systems and mission-specific configurations can be swapped without changing the vehicle’s core hardware.

“The X2 is a platform, not a single product. The same in-wheel motors, solid-state batteries, electronics and ESOX OS software can be configured into whatever vehicle the mission demands,” Roberts said. “Our clients can license the platform and build their own variants on top, using our core technologies for whatever configuration that they need.”

ESOX first showed the X2 as a technology demonstrator at CES 2026. The X2 is one of three platforms ESOX has built on what the company describes as a shared technology stack, alongside the X1 interceptor drone, which ESOX said is already flying, and the X3 heavy-lift quadcopter, which remains upcoming.