Amber

Amber, located in Eindhoven, is a young and exceptional company with a focus on mobility. Via her car sharing platform, in which electric BMW i3’s are used, Amber leases electric cars and provides for the mobility of professionals in the Netherlands. Companies such as ABN AMRO, Philips, Fontys Hogescholen and Hezelburcht are fan already and purchase the electric cars.

From Eindhoven to Amsterdam and Amersfoort to Rotterdam, you are able to find Amber hubs in many of the large Dutch cities. A hub exists of one or multiple electric charging stations. Users can pick up or drop off an Amber at each hub.

Development of a box for electric cars with autonomous functionalities

Amber as well as V.E.D.S. Veeren Electronic Design Solutions are convinced of the potential of self-driving cars. The two parties decided to collaborate in order to set up a R&D project with a focus on a ConnectivityBox for electric cars.

Successful MIT R&D grant for the project

The essence of the innovation is focused on the development of the ConnectivityBox. This is a retrofit vehicle module developed to make the experience of certain car parts more streamlined and to provide electric cars with autonomous functionalities. Multiple parties are concerned in the project because of the technological challenges it faces.

Despite the fact that self-driving cars without a driver are not ready yet to be introduced on the market, the project partners were driven to introduce a proof of concept of the relevant technology at the start of 2019. The technology will eventually be further developed into a tangible product.

Hezelburcht is involved in the ground-breaking R&D project as a grant partner and took care of the entire grant application process.

Hezelburcht offers support to Amber in its innovation projects

Hezelburcht only started working with Amber since the end of 2017, but has already made some great successes within multiple innovation projects. Last year the specialists supported Amber successfully with applying for grants such as WBSO, MRE and MIT Feasibility and R&D.