Companies Pool AV and Drive-by-Wire Data From Auro Self-Driving Road Tests to Improve Safety Performance
SAN FRANCISCO– (April 30, 2019) – Ridecell Inc., the leading platform for shared and autonomous mobility operators, and Dataspeed Inc., a globally established drive-by-wire solution provider, announced a strategic partnership to enhance autonomous vehicle (AV) safety. The companies will begin leveraging each other’s technology and testing new technologies in real world conditions to improve vehicle safety.
“Dataspeed is a leading provider of drive-by-wire control systems, with hundreds of vehicle installations worldwide,” said Aarjav Trivedi, CEO of Ridecell. “With our new strategic partner, Ridecell will begin comprehensive data collection of Dataspeed metrics from our Auro self-driving vehicles, which were licensed in 2018 by the state of California for on-road testing. AV safety is our top priority, and our combined efforts will help improve safety for all drive-by-wire AVs.”
The deep integration of proven autonomous technology from Auro, the self-driving division of Ridecell, with Dataspeed’s highly engineered drive-by-wire vehicle controls, will improve AV data collection, data logging and analytics. These enhanced analytics will generate valuable feedback to further develop advanced drive-by-wire control offerings. Rich data logging will also verify and document AV safety and performance, enabling third parties to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the combined system in real-world on-road environments.
“Ridecell has distinguished knowledge and expertise in the shared mobility market. Their extensive research on the road will provide extremely valuable data for Dataspeed, which will accelerate new product development,” explained Paul Fleck, Dataspeed Inc. Founder & CEO. “This partnership aligns with our core strategy on many fronts and will support continued growth for autonomous vehicles in the mobility-as-a-service industry.”
Ridecell is committed to sharing AV operational data with third parties to enhance public safety. The company’s AVs employ a deeply collaborative platform that securely shares sensor data, real-time statistics, operational insights, and R&D tools.
About Ridecell
Ridecell is on a mission to empower shared mobility operators, including OEMs, car rental companies, auto clubs, cities, transit agencies, dealer groups, and private fleets to launch, expand, and maximize the utilization of their own ridesharing and carsharing services. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company provides a new mobility cloud platform for carsharing, ridesharing and autonomous ridehailing. End-to-end integration and automation accelerate time-to-market, enabling Ridecell customers to launch mobility services quickly, operate efficiently, and scale revenues as business grows. Through its acquisition of Auro, Ridecell also provides a comprehensive suite of L4 on-vehicle software, sensors and controls that enable autonomous vehicle operation.
Founded in 2009, Ridecell has already processed over 25 million rides and rentals, and has a team of more than 150 professionals in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Ridecell’s Series B round is led by Activate Capital and brings together prominent investors including DENSO, Cox Automotive, Munich Re Venture’s ERGO Fund, Initialized Capital, LG Technology Ventures, BNP Paribas, Penske, Deutsche Bahn, Mitsui, Sony Innovation Fund, Ally Ventures and Khosla Ventures.
The company now powers new mobility offerings, including ReachNow, mobility service from the BMW Group, ZITY by Groupe Renault and Ferrovial, and GIG Carsharing service by AAA. In addition, Ridecell powers dynamic shuttle services for campuses such as Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley, UCSF, 3M, and transit agencies like SouthWest Transit.
About Dataspeed Inc.
Dataspeed Inc., located in Metro Detroit, provides complete autonomous research and development vehicle integrations that allow engineers to get up and running quickly on their algorithm, sensor, or data research. Dataspeed’s automotive grade by-wire solutions form the foundation of these platforms. Hundreds of customers have trusted Dataspeed’s team of expert software and hardware engineers with their driverless car projects, including sensor developers, mobility-as-a-service providers, teleoperators, research institutions, and government agencies. Dataspeed is dedicated to building innovative AV solutions that are safe, reliable, and cost-effective.
Media Contacts:
Ridecell
Diptii Tiiku
(415) 608-8112
press@ridecell.com
Dataspeed
Heidi Bodell
(248) 879-0528 x4123
hbodell@dataspeedinc.com