The Ubimobility acceleration program strengthens the French autonomous vehicle and connected cars presence in the United-States
April 9, 2018
France is leading the way in the autonomous vehicle and connected cars segments with emerging and innovative technologies With over 40 experimental projects in progress and an investment of over 200 million euros, the French government is in the process of establishing a national strategy to develop its local expertise which in turn, would contribute to the development of the European industrial fabric in these fields. With this ambition and an emerging innovative start-up ecosystem, French industry is developing new technologies to improve the safety, reliability as well as operative functions of the future autonomous and connected vehicles.
“We all know now very well that the new, innovative technologies developed in France will make the autonomous vehicle driving experience much smarter, more secure, faster and hackproof with more reliable connections to infrastructure while offering new innovative services for their occupants” says Georges Ucko, Head of Transportation Division at Business France in Chicago. “This is why each year we bring this expertise to the United States to promote the best of those innovative technologies through the Ubimobility program that allows an immersion experience for French companies into the automotive ecosystems of Detroit and San Francisco”.
According to WardsAuto a leading publication for the automotive sector, the Ubimobility program allowed the electric autonomous shuttle Navya to be a part of the University of Michigan Mcity program. In addition, Navya established its first assembly plant in Michigan in 2017. Many previous laureates of the Ubimobility program have also had success in their launch, such as Prophesee (formerly Chronocam) that recently announced the closing of the initial tranche of its Series B financing round of $19 million or the French LiDAR processing pioneer Dibotics that is collaborating with the automotive glass manufacturer AGC automotive to Integrate LiDAR Sensors behind the Windshield.
In 2017, the program featured the following technologies: ADAS, facial and vocal recognition, driver behavior and interaction, vehicle connectivity and software validation. This year’s group features a wide range of technologies such as imaging sensors and cameras, precise point positioning technology, protection of digital identity, AI and on demand mobility services, as well as AV simulation and mobile solutions for a seamless driving experience.
About Ubimobility 2018: Now in its 4th year, Ubimobility is a unique acceleration program which focuses on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Business France and Bpifrance work with the French automotive, transportation, IT industries and clusters to identify up and coming French companies with innovative technologies related to autonomous and connected vehicles. French companies applying to the Ubimobility program are evaluated by a panel of industry judges which selects the 8 most promising companies. During their 2 weeks in Detroit/Ann Arbor and San Francisco/Silicon Valley, the selected companies meet with automakers, suppliers, think-tanks, universities, potential partners and investors.
The 2018 Ubimobility program returns to the U.S. in June with 8 newly selected, innovative laureates by the U.S. judging panel comprised of experts from Magna International, FCA Group, Ford Motor Silicon Valley, Aptiv (formerly Delphi), The University of Michigan, WardsAuto, Boston Consulting Group, Qualcomm, Valeo North America, The University of California Berkeley.
The participating companies are:
New Imaging Technologies (NIT) offers CMOS and InGaAs imaging sensors and cameras operating over an extraordinarily dynamic range of more than 140dB. Its sensors are particularly useful for machine vision, automobile and autonomous driving, biometrics, security and surveillance. NIT delivers from large volume production down to small numbers and custom products.
GEOFLEX is the operator of new Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) augmentation services based on the PPP-CNES technology (Precise Point Positioning), enabling an absolute positioning at 4 cm or 1,5 inches (2D-95%) around the world, on land, at sea and in the sky, all the time, with a single receiver, without any nearby GNSS permanent station.
Gulplug provides new customizable services based on both magnetic plug and energy sensors to enhance the connectivity of machines. The P-Plate: an automatic self-plug-in and plug-out accessory to connect electric vehicles is based on a magnetic conductive self -plugging system (SELFPLUG® patented). Gulplug is using 2 technology license agreements with Schneider Electric.
IDnomic is the leading European provider of trust services for the protection of digital identities of citizens, corporate employees, and the internet of things. IDnomic provides and operates PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) solutions to enable private and public organizations to deploy secure C-ITS Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems.
Ween.ai is the first Artificial Intelligence-based solution that predicts, in real time, the arrival of the occupants in order to constantly adapt the behavior of a place to its use. Embedded in their clients’ cars, ween.ai allows offering a unique experience of tailor-made comfort and effortless energy savings.
ISFM, an innovative mobility maker presenting its autonomous mobility service concept at CES 2018. Eco-friendly and open-aired, it accommodates from 6 to 30 people. Its embedded intelligence allows a reliable on-demand mobility service, without creating any risks to operational safety. ISFM is an expert in intelligent transport systems and accompanies all those who wish to deploy new mobility services.
AV Simulation is the automotive subsidiary of OKTAL and the software editor of SCANeR™ Studio. AV Simulation’s activities are twofold: Turnkey solutions (Hardware and software) for Research and Engineering High Performance Simulators (Hardware and software), SCANeR™ Studio Simulation Platform.
OpenFleet SAS provides off the shelf and comprehensive technology solutions for new mobility operators, rental companies and niche markets (electric taxi industry, etc.). They design specific keyless access, cloud-based vehicle rental platforms for BtoB/BtoC applications. With more than 4 000 vehicles outfitted in Europe and North America on 25 mobility platforms, they offer state-of- the-art mobile solutions for seamless driver experience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
CONTACT:
For more information on the Ubimobility program please visit its website (www.ubimobility.org) or for appointments or interviews please contact omar.janjua@businessfrance.fr, tel: +1 416 977 1257 ext 206.