Toyota has announced the first six startups that will present their work at a demonstration event for its European innovation platform, Toyota Open Lab, in Paris next month.
According to the automaker, Andamo, Okenair, Jenny Mobility, hlpy, Hive Power and Shippeo will be making presentations at a Demo Day in the French capital on September 4th, showcasing their innovations to advance the future of energy, circular economy, carbon neutrality, smart communities and mobility for all.
They will also discuss their progress since joining the program, the challenges they have overcome, and their outlook for the future of the industry.
Toyota Open Lab partners include Toyota Tsusho Europe, Toyota Group's trade and supply chain division, Kintoo Europe, Toyota Group's mobility brand, Woven Capital, Toyota's growth-stage venture fund, and Toyota Mobility Foundation, Toyota's non-profit foundation. The Toyota Open Lab 2024 startups were selected from hundreds of applicants that demonstrated unique approaches to core areas of mobility.
Andyamo is a pedestrian and multimodal trip planner that facilitates mobility for people with mobility challenges, such as the elderly, families with small children in strollers, and people with physical disabilities. It does this by integrating information about public transport accessibility, such as accessible sidewalks, safe crosswalks by mobility levels, and entrances to trains, stops, and metro stations.
Okeenea claims that its mobility assistance application provides better directions and navigation to people who have difficulty navigating complex areas of daily life.
Jenny Mobility has developed the Jenny Zero, a two-wheeled personal transportation with self-balancing technology to make driving easy for all users. The vehicle's technology continuously maps the vehicle's position and the terrain, sharing information about areas to move or avoid.
HivePower offers grid balancing using vehicle-to-grid technology and artificial intelligence algorithms that assist anything connected to the grid from energy usage to charging battery electric vehicles, including integration with smart buildings and smart appliances.
hlpy enhances roadside assistance through an integrated digital solution that offers 24/7 self-service options such as on-the-spot repairs in case of breakdowns, BEV charging and loaner cars in case of emergencies, taxi booking, hotel reservations and access to service agents when drivers are unable to request assistance digitally.
Shippeo is a real-time intermodal transportation company that empowers large shippers and logistics providers with resilient, sustainable, and customer-centric supply chains. Through automation and integration, they gain instant access to cargo tracking across all transport modes, accurate arrival time predictions, proactively forecasting issues, streamlining exception management, and precise measurement of CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions.
Monica Pérez Lobo, vice president of corporate affairs and sustainability at Toyota Motor Europe, said: “These innovations contribute to solving societal challenges and making concrete, tangible advances in mobility. The power of the Open Lab program is that it brings together these start-ups with business units across Toyota's ecosystem to help scale up innovation and contribute to a sustainable future.”
