CV “Middleware” Maker Developing Tech Using Funding
An automotive hardware company says the funding it’s injecting into a connected vehicle cloud tech maker will be used to help develop the latter company’s products.
Along with venture capital outfit Molex, German automotive electronics maker HELLA is investing an undisclosed sum of money in Excelfore, the Californian maker of the eSync over-the-air (OTA) system. eSync claims to offer a cloud-based “middleware” solution to the “expensive and inconvenient” problems of software updates and driver compliance with vehicle recalls.
Excelfore claims eSync represents “a single solution for data-push and data-pull. It can push data to the vehicle, for OTA updating of software and firmware. It also has the ability to pull data from the vehicle, for purposes of diagnosing and tracking vehicle status and performance.” It is the basis for the eSync Alliance, which its maker promotes as a platform that allows for three-way communication between automakers, component makers and connected vehicle drivers.
Commenting on the move, HELLA chief digital officer Dr Rainer Holve said: “The eSync platform is going to play an important role in HELLA’s connected car strategy, and in shaping the automotive industry … we’re excited to be able to invest in Excelfore, and to help them develop the technology further”. Excelfore CEO Shrinath Acharya said he viewed the capital injections as “a significant vote of confidence in Excelfore, and our eSync technology”.
