The six start-ups attempting to change the way you drive

The six tech startups that want to revolutionise the way we drive.

Ann Marie Sastry, president and CEO of Sakti3. Sakti3 is one of several small companies working on alternatives to the lithium-ion batteries found in most electric vehicles today. Paul Sancya / AP PhoShow more

A veteran computer scientist hates sitting in his car at stop lights, so he creates software that makes the experience less annoying. And an aeronautics expert believes that flying cars should not be science fiction. It is no secret that technology is changing the car industry. The major carmakers, as well as Google and possibly Apple, are laying the groundwork for the first driverless cars.

Meanwhile, a number of engineers and entrepreneurs have started their own companies to tackle other motoring challenges. Here are six start-ups that want to change the way you drive:

Connected Signals

Entrepreneur and computer scientist Matt Ginsberg hates red lights. So he started Connected Signals, based in Oregon in the United States, to collect real-time data from cities that synchronise their traffic signals. The company’s smartphone app tells motorists if an upcoming signal is about to change colour. It shows drivers how long they will have to wait if a light is red – and chimes a warning just before it turns green.

The app helps to prevent distraction, unnecessary acceleration and delays, says Mr Ginsberg. BMW has added it to its driver display. Mr Ginsberg also sees an opportunity in selling data for motoring systems that shut off a car’s engine to save petrol during longer red lights. One hurdle is getting the raw data from individual cities: He has agreements with about 100 US towns and hopes to cover half of the country by 2017.

Parkme

Sam Friedman and Alex Israel missed the start of a movie because they could not park. That is when the two young men, friends since primary school, decided to launch ParkMe in Los Angeles. It is one of several start-ups with smartphone apps that help drivers to find, reserve and pay online for parking spots. But it has gone further than most in solving the data hurdle: ParkMe boasts parking information from 1,800 cities around the world, much of it collected via live feeds from ticket dispensers at commercial and municipal lots.

ParkMe also gets street parking data from meters that accept credit cards and from cities that use pavement sensors for parking enforcement. While it uses the data in its apps for drivers, ParkMe also sells it to planning agencies and car companies, including Audi, for their navigation systems.

Metromile

That little diagnostic port under your car’s dashboard is not just for mechanics. It can provide useful information for drivers and insurance companies, too.

Several start-ups use matchbox-sized devices that plug into the port and send information on a car’s performance to the driver’s smartphone. MetroMile, a start-up in San Francisco, goes further. It sells car insurance on a pay-per-mile basis, using a similar device to verify the miles driven.

Other insurance companies are trying similar devices to track drivers’ behaviour, but MetroMile says it will not penalise a customer for speeding or slamming the brakes. The company promises significant savings for people who do not drive much.

Cruise

You do not need to wait years to enjoy autonomous driving. At least that is the premise behind Cruise Automation’s “highway autopilot” kit.

Cruise engineers have retrofitted some recent Audi models with prototype kits consisting of rooftop sensors, a computer in the trunk and controls that fit behind the steering wheel. Cruise Automation’s founder, Kyle Vogt, says the system will keep a car within its motorway lane, while steering around curves and maintaining safe distance from other vehicles.

The software engineer hopes to deliver the first Cruise kits to customers this year.

Sakti3

Most electric vehicles on the market only go about 160 kilometres on a charge. A better battery is the industry’s “holy grail”, says Quin Garcia of Auto Tech Ventures, which funds motoring start-ups.

Sakti3, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is among several start-ups trying new approaches to lithium-ion batteries. Ann Marie Sastry, the founder and a former engineering professor, was invited to a White House event this month to explain her ideas for making powerful batteries more cheaply.

It is not enough to come up with an idea for a new battery, says Ms Sastry. “If you can’t make it cost-effectively, you can’t have an impact.”

She is using computer simulations to design processes for making solid-state batteries that are lighter and hold twice the energy, providing more range. Appliance-maker Dyson and General Motors have invested in Sakti3.

Terrafugia

Terrafugia, a privately backed start-up in Massachusetts, admits on its website that flying cars have become a pop-culture symbol for dreams that do not come true. Carl Dietrich, its chief executive, wants to change that.

Two years ago, he and his co-founders – all MIT graduates – impressed observers at a Wisconsin air show by flying a gasoline-powered light plane the size of an SUV, which can fold its wings and meet legal requirements for motorway driving. The company hopes to deliver a version to customers in 2017, at an anticipated price of US$279,000.

Terrafugia is also working on a concept for a sleeker, electric-powered vehicle with rotors for vertical take-off. But Mr Dietrich says it will take years to achieve his goal to build a car that does not require a pilot’s licence to fly. “Our first product is very much an airplane that can be driven,” he says. “But it’s putting our company in position to make a car that can fly.”

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