07.03.2017
2 minutes of reading
To carve out a position for itself on the emerging - and already competitive - connected mobility market, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) is launching a dedicated start-up: DriveQuant. The company will develop and market a range of web services, launched last September under the brand of the same name, covering energy analysis, coaching, eco-driving and safety. A number of SMEs have already been won over by these services, with joint projects under way.
The market for services associated with connected vehicles is expanding rapidly. It is likely to generate some 350 billion dollars by 2020 according to the “The Connected Mobility Global Forecast 2016” study conducted by Ptolemus Consulting Group. New players are entering the fray and offering innovative mobility solutions. A recognized research and innovation (R&I) player in the field of sustainable mobility, IFPEN is part of this dynamic drive and wants to ramp up its range of services for smart cars in order to create value and jobs.
IFPEN was very quick to identify the challenges related to new mobility and digital usages. Back in 2010, it launched research projects concerning connected vehicles, particularly in the field of eco-driving. This led to the release of the GECO mobile application – a free smartphone app available for download - that allows motorists to achieve fuel savings of between 10 and 15% and has already been adopted by more than 27,000 drivers. On this basis, IFPEN researchers have been working on a global solution aimed at analyzing driving performance and supporting motorists.
Today, IFPEN is creating a new start-up that will be able to rapidly address the needs of customers in a fast-evolving market and interact with other players in the digital and mobility ecosystem. DriveQuant is managed by two former IFPEN automation research engineers, Philippe Moulin and Olivier Grondin, motor vehicle experts, specializing in algorithmic analysis. The company will be located in the city of Paris’ “Paris Région Innovation Nord Express” (PRINE) incubator. DriveQuant will develop its service range with the support of IFPEN research teams, who are actively working on energy efficiency in the transport sector.
DriveQuant will offer four types of webservices:
- energy analysis,
- eco-driving,
- safety,
- and coaching.
DriveQuant also provide a mobile application that can be used as a white-label service and an SDK (Software development kit – iOS or Android) to facilitate the integration of driving analysis services in its customer solutions.
DriveQuant is focusing on two main markets:
- fleet managers, who will be able to monitor the energy efficiency of their vehicles and identify avenues for safety improvements,
- and insurance companies, who, using DriveQuant services, will be able to improve their risk management.
