Innovations

In the Innovation Map below, you get an overview of the Top 10 Automotive Trends & Innovations that impact companies worldwide. Moreover, the Automotive Innovation Map reveals 20 hand-picked startups, all working on emerging technologies that advance their field. To explore custom insights, simply get in touch with us.

Top 10 Automotive Industry Trends

• Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)
• Vehicle Connectivity
• Electrification
• Shared Mobility
• Artificial Intelligence
• Big Data & Analytics
• Human-Machine Interfaces
• Blockchain
• 3D Printing
• Internet of Things

Tree Map reveals the Impact of the Top 10 Automotive Industry Trends

The Tree Map below illustrates the top 10 automotive industry trends that will impact companies in 2022. Emerging companies are working to build the first fully autonomous vehicle for city roads, which in turn accelerates the advancements in-vehicle connectivity and IoT. Further, as countries look to move away from fossil fuel use, a significant number of emerging electrification startups develop electric vehicles and the associated charging infrastructure. Another way to reduce the number of cars on the road involves promoting and creating shared mobility solutions that include first and last-mile connectivity along with urban mass transit.

Global Startup Heat Map covers 4 859 Automotive Startups & Scaleups

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the global distribution of the 4 859 exemplary startups & scaleups that we analyzed for this automotive trends research. Created through the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, the Heat Map reveals that the United States is home to most of these companies while we also observe increased activity in Europe, particularly in the UK and France.

Below, you get to meet 20 out of these 4 800+ promising startups & scaleups as well as the solutions they develop. These 20 startups were hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.

Top 10 Automotive Industry Trends & Innovations

1. Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)

Self-driving or autonomous vehicles minimize the need for human drivers and look poised to transform everyday transportation. Fleets of AVs expand the scope of last-mile deliveries, reduce downtime, and aim to make public transportation relatively safer. For example, by reducing accidents caused due to driver fatigue or negligence. AVs are equipped with advanced recognition technologies, such as AI-enhanced computer vision to identify obstacles along the route.

Intvo increases Autonomous Vehicle Safety

The US-based startup Intvo develops a pedestrian behavior prediction technology. Unlike two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) object detection technologies that consider limited parameters, their solution checks for head position, eye contact, and leg movements of the pedestrians, weather conditions, and assigns a risk level. This reduces false positives in pedestrian detection and enhances the safety of autonomous vehicles.

Udelv builds Autonomous Vehicles for Las Mile Delivery

The US-based startup Udelv provides autonomous vehicles for last-mile deliveries. It combines advanced AI algorithms and hyper-speed teleoperations for human-assisted guidance in unique situations. The startup’s vans have a payload capacity of approx. 360 kg (800+ lbs) and reach speeds up to approx 100 km/h (60 mi/h). The vans deliver groceries from nearby stores and send out a push notification when the order arrives.

2. Vehicle Connectivity

Nowadays, vehicles come with a tamper-proof digital identity that differentiates them from other vehicles in the network. This enables easy tracking of vehicular data for various use cases such as insurance, driver safety, predictive maintenance, and fleet management. Sharing vehicular data helps not just the individual customer, but overhauls the entire mobility ecosystem. Startups and scaleups develop vehicle connectivity solutions that enable them to connect and exchange data with other vehicles (V2V), an electric vehicle grid (V2G), public infrastructure (V2I), as well as with new and emerging ways to utilize vehicle data (V2X).

V2X Network offers a Connected Vehicle Data Platform

British startup V2X Network offers a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) platform for autonomous transactions that combines geo-networking and caching to enable low latency real-time communication. The platform runs on distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and allows for a high degree of scalability. The startup uses enterprise-grade encryption in order to provide users control over their data to enhance security and privacy measures.

NoTraffic facilitates Digital Road Infrastructure Management

Israeli startup NoTraffic develops an AI-powered traffic signal platform that digitizes road infrastructure management and connects drivers to the city roadways to manage various traffic-related challenges. The data of all road users is streamed and processed in real-time to empower smart mobility. The solution also serves as the base for additional services such as micropayments and micro-mobility.

3. Electrification

The depleting fossil fuel reserves and the harm to the environment caused by their use call for promoting the use of electric mobility solutions. For greater adoption, EVs need to address issues such as high price, poor battery, inadequate charging infrastructure, fleet electrification, as well as powering renewable energy-based charging grids. These challenges, along with the need to tackle increasing greenhouse gas emissions across the world, startups are working on electrification solutions.

Lordstown Motors builds an Electric Pick-up Truck

The US-based Startup Lordstown Motors Corps makes an all-electric pickup truck. The truck, EnduranceTM, is designed to be a sturdy work vehicle and comes with fewer moving parts compared to traditional commercial vehicles, thus enabling easier maintenance. It features 4 hub electric motors to provide a four-wheel drive and is capable of traveling more than 250 miles (400 km) on a single charge.

ChargeX specializes in Modular Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions

German startup ChargeX offers a modular EV charging solution that converts parking spaces into charging stations. The startup’s platform, Aqueduct, is easy to install, has 4 charging modules with up to 22kW, provides monthly reports, and uses a Typ2 charging cable. The solution recognizes the power requirements of every car and automatically controls the charging speed for each vehicle.

4. Shared Mobility

With connected vehicles, new business models have come up that focus on shared mobility as an alternative to traditional vehicle ownership. This enables mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and discourages unused vehicles. Such solutions meet the requirements of a city or a business without adding new vehicles, thus reducing waiting time for fleets and pollution caused by petrol or diesel vehicles.

Launch Mobility combines Shared Mobility Solutions in a Single Platform

The US-based startup Launch Mobility develops a platform for a range of shared mobility solutions. The platform LM Mission ControlTM offers free-floating or station-based car sharing, advanced shuttle services, shared dockless scooters, keyless rental programs, and peer-to-peer shared mobility. The LM Misszon ControlTM dashboard allows business users to manage their fleets. Further, their drivers use out-of-the-box or white-labeled apps to manage reservations or remotely access vehicles.

Beam develops Electric Scooters for Urban Mobility

Singapore-based startup Beam focuses on e-scooters to promote shared mobility in the Asia-Pacific region. Their scooters use an aviation-grade aluminum frame and are customized for sharing, safety, reliability, and durability. Users discover the nearest Beam scooter on the app and park it in visible public spots after the ride. Further, the micro-mobility platform offers a sustainable alternative to short-distance rides and helps regulate traffic flow in cities.

5. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision find applications in robotic automation within the automotive industry. These guide self-driving cars, manage fleets, assist drivers to improve safety, and improve services such as vehicle inspection or insurance. AI also finds applications in automotive manufacturing, where it accelerates the rate of production and reduces costs.

RevitsOne provides AI-based Fleet Management Solutions

Indian startup RevitsOne offers an AI-powered fleet-management software that is suitable for fleets of varying sizes. The startup’s vehicle management system provides insights into speed, running vitals, and health information. Drivers benefit from Voicera ID, a voice-based virtual assistant that helps them keep track of the information they need. Additionally, the onboard speed recorder limits the speed to discourage dangerous driving behaviors.

Apex AI offers an Integrated Automotive Data Management Platform

The US-based startup Apex AI enables automotive companies to implement complex AI solutions. Apex.OS runs on automotive electronic control units (ECUs) and offers robust, reliable, and secure APIs to develop autonomous mobility solutions. ApexAutonomy offers modules to build 3D perception, localization, and control to enable autonomous vehicles. Lastly, MARV.Automotive is a configurable and extensible data management platform that reliably transmits data from the vehicle to the cloud.