Tuesday 5 February 2019

E.ON buys stake in connected car platform developer

Energy giant E.ON has bought a stake in a US start-up that operates a cloud-based platform for cars connected to the internet.

Vinli offers a connected car platform with a hardware that connects to a vehicle’s diagnostic port and provides information, such as when and where an electric vehicle (EV) needs to be charged.

It can automatically diagnose a car, for example, alerting the driver to any potential issues such as tire pressure, break performance and vehicle depreciation and can also navigate the vehicle to take the most fuel efficient route home.

In addition, it can provide alerts for speed limits, road works and traffic.

Raw data from a variety of sources can be collected and processed to help fleet owners create new mobility services – E.ON says customers will be able to benefit from solutions tailored for electric fleets by integrating data from its charging infrastructure,

Frank Meyer, Senior Vice President – Innovation and Customer Solutions at E.ON adds: “With the information from the car itself, we are closing a gap in our data world for e-mobility. By combining customer vehicle and network data, we can identify trends at an early stage and will continually create new digital mobility offerings for our customers.

“Beyond the competitive advantage, we see Vinli as an attractive investment.”

No financial details have been disclosed about the deal.