Road safety is a major concern for the automotive industry as every year the lives of approximately 1.19 million people are cut short due to road traffic crashes. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability.
Within this context, low-grip conditions emerge as significant contributors to mortality – particularly in wet road scenarios, accounting for around 8-10% of fatalities. The automotive industry requires swift and effective solutions to align with European standards, aiming for zero road fatalities by 2050.
In response, Easyrain announces a collaboration with Wipro to accelerate the time-to-market for the revolutionary Digital Advanced Information (DAI) software platform featuring our anti-aquaplaning virtual sensor.
This sensor is crucial for calibrating ADAS and autonomous driving systems in low-grip situations and introducing innovative features to optimize fuel/energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.
Wipro Engineering Edge has developed the Cloud Car platform, which combines traditional solutions with innovative platforms and expertise in software-defined vehicles (SDVs), enabling the auto industry to reimagine how safety and entertainment features are developed, deployed, and maintained.
Easyrain combines safety solutions with the Wipro Cloud Car platform, with the ability to deliver a new feature daily.
As one of the most advanced software for road detection, the anti-aquaplaning DAI software can estimate the tire’s loss of contact with the road surface, not only in the event of aquaplaning but also in other critical situations, such as puddles involving one side of the car – dangerous as they might cause a strong yaw or provoke an inappropriate reaction by the driver.
The DAI provides several warning levels and is poised to become the ultimate solution to the challenges of driving assistance systems and driverless cars.
Ushering in a new level of safety for driving assistance technologies, DAI significantly elevates the capabilities of systems such as adaptive cruise control: successfully tested in two POCs vehicles and soon to be implemented in a third POC vehicle, the DAI can modulate the vehicle speed on wet surfaces not only based on the distance from the car in front, but on the level of water on the asphalt.
The initial stage of this collaboration involves integrating Easyrain’s anti-aquaplaning sensor into the Wipro Cloud Car platform, allowing for a time-to-integrate of just 1 month.
Looking ahead, Easyrain and Wipro Engineering Edge will integrate the complete DAI platform into the Wipro Cloud Car platform. DAI transitions from a virtual sensor detecting dangers on wet roads to a comprehensive platform addressing challenges in snow, ice, gravel, potholes, and various vehicle dynamics-related issues.
In addition to the detection of hazardous situations on low-grip surfaces, the DAI platform introduces features for optimizing CO2 emissions and curbing fuel/energy consumption. This is achieved through the detection of vehicle wheels misalignments, identifying factors that might elevate rolling resistance: in the case of wrong camber and toe angles, the vehicle can experience increased rolling resistance, leading to higher consumption and emissions. DAI recognizes these situations and notifies the vehicle.
As an added measure, the DAI alerts against tire pressure loss, provides an iTPMS feature and prevents potential wheel detachment – a critical safety concern often overlooked. In wheel fastening nut loosening instances, DAI detects micro-vibrations, signaling the vehicle to avert accidents.
To harness the full potential of DAI data, Easyrain provides a cloud platform tailored for innovative solutions. These solutions streamline road maintenance for optimal operations, enhance fleet management efficiency for rental companies, and contribute to a more sustainable transportation ecosystem.
Ultimately, the DAI activates the world’s first system capable of eliminating the phenomenon of aquaplaning – the Aquaplaning Intelligent Solution (AIS), industrialized with Marelli. Through small injectors hidden in the bumper, AIS sprays a controlled jet of water in front of the front wheels to remove excess water from the road, thus reestablishing traction. This happens only when the DAI software detects hazardous situations, optimizes water consumption, and adapts the system’s response to road conditions.
“With Wipro Engineering Edge as our collaborative partner, we are not just witnessing the evolution of the automotive landscape – we are actively shaping it,” says Giovanni Blandina, CEO at Easyrain. “The cloud-based future is not a distant vision; it’s a reality we are actively participating in. We are thrilled about the promising developments that lie ahead and mark the future of the automotive industry as we embark on this journey with Wipro”.
“This partnership is a perfect example that showcases the true purpose and value of the Wipro Cloud Car platform: accelerating development cycles and making vehicles better every day. The seamless integration of innovative products, coupled with the Wipro Cloud Car platform to manage OTA (Over-the-Air) updates, shows the efficiency of an ever-evolving Software-Defined Vehicle, propelling us into the future with unparalleled speed and innovation” says Yves-Antoine Brun, Vice President, Head -Europe, Wipro Engineering Edge.
Exciting projects and developments are in the pipeline, and we can’t wait to share them with you.
The journey begins in January as we return to CES in Las Vegas for the second year, now at Marelli’s booth at the Wynn hotel.
CES is the most powerful tech event in the world, the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators – this is what Easyrain is all about!
A significant opportunity that validates our achievements and the value we bring to the automotive industry!.
The Venture Awards accentuate Stellantis’ dedication to delivering customer-focused technology and features, powering the Dare Forward 2030 ambition for global clean, safe and affordable mobility.
Easyrain is grateful for the incredible opportunity to be part of this unique award!
Though we didn’t clinch victory this time, it was a valuable journey of growth and collaboration with other promising startups.
The lessons learned will fuel our determination, and we’re already gearing up for next year!
We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership that’s set to propel our growth and take our Aquaplaning Intelligent Solution (AIS) to the next level! We’ve joined forces with Adler, experts in carbon fiber component manufacturing! Adler will play a crucial role in developing cutting-edge AIS components designed to significantly reduce the system’s overall weight. AIS stands as a groundbreaking achievement – the first active system that directly influences road conditions, making them safer. It operates on the road itself, rather than within the vehicle, marking a paradigm shift from existing technologies. This innovation elevates safety standards across all vehicles, traditional and autonomous. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our quest to enhance road safety and revolutionize the driving experience.
Zero road fatalitiess by 2050.
This is the ambitious goal set by the EU in 2021′ The Road to Zero’program, after decades of positive results in reducing road mortality. However, data analysis shows that the decline is slowing down, driven by critical situations such as accidents on wet roads: in cities, 19% of the victims occur under wet road conditions (source: European Commission preliminary data on road fatalities for 2022)¹. To reverse this trend, we need technologies and innovations to change the current paradigms of vehicle safety.
And that’s precisely what Easyrain has been doing for years, developing its owntechnologies, which will now be industrialized in partnership with an exceptional partner.
We are proud to announce our partnership with Marelli Marelli, a global automotive supplierthatwill work with us to industrialize our technologies: Aquaplaning Intelligent Solution, the first system for restoring vehicle traction on wet roads, including aquaplaning conditions, and Digital Aquaplaning Information, a platform of virtual sensors for detecting road conditions and calibrating ADAS.
The agreement with Marelli solidifies Easyrain’s growth path and represents a significant milestone in the 2023-2030 industrial plan. In addition to research and development of new products, this plan aims to launch AIS and DAI on the market, scheduled for late 2025 and mid-2027, respectively.
This partnership is a source of great prideas it elevates Easyrain to one of the most promising automotive startups in the global market. This is evidenced by the Most Innovative Road Safety Technology Developer 2023 award from the prestigious Success Knocks, and the growing interest from automakers, sealed by a new agreement with a third carmakerfor the creation of a Proof of Concept aimed at production.
As part of the collaboration, Marelli will focus on industrializing the AIS system’s evolution (called Proto-B), fully complying with automotive industry production standards. AIS Proto-B, to be validated in July 2024, meets carmakers’ production demands and is poised to become a groundbreaking solution for the automotive industry, similar to the impact of ABS and ESP.
Through small injectors hidden in the bumper, AIS sprays a controlled jet of water in front of the front wheels to remove excess water from theroad, thus reestablishing traction. This happens only when the powerful DAI software detects hazardous situations, optimizing water consumption and adapting the system’s response to road conditions. AIS can spray liquid on only one side of the vehicle to counter dangerous yaw rotationcaused by puddles affecting either the left or right wheels. The precision of detection and system speed have allowed the elimination of any additional tank, making use of tiny amounts of water contained in the windshield washer tank, standard equipment on all vehicle.
AIS is the first active system that changes road conditions and makes them safer. Moreover, it is the only system that operates directly on the road rather than on the vehicle, a paradigm shift from currently available technologies.
AIS raises the safety standards of all vehicles, both traditional and autonomous, by enabling the anti-lock braking system and electronic stability control to function where they otherwise wouldn’t, allowing vehicles to safely handle puddles and aquaplaning situations.
AIS is also the world’s first system capable of effectively addressing the problem of accidents on highly wet roads and aquaplaning conditions, a complex issue that has never found a radical solution and is responsible for thousands of injuries and fatalities: in Europe, there are approximately 212,000 such incidents annually.
These are alarming numbers that have driven us to go beyond: Easyrain’s R&D division is also working on an evolution of AIS capable of restoring traction not only in cases of loss of control on wet roads but also in snowy and icy conditions. This greatly enhances driving safety in low-traction conditions and solves a significant problem for both present-day and future autonomous vehicles. Thanks to the adoption of our systems, these vehicles can be not only safer but also more appealing from a market perspective.
As part of the partnership, Marelli will also produce the electronics in which DAI, one of the most advanced virtual sensor platforms globally for detecting wet road safety, will be installed. DAI, which doesn’t require an internet connection or additional sensors, enables the calibration of ADAS and assisted and autonomous driving technologies. It is poised to become the ultimate solution to the challenges of driverless cars, not only on highly wet roads but also in snow, ice, potholes, and gravel conditions.
Furthermore, DAI will become a crucial tool inreducing CO2 emissions and fuel/energy consumption. This is achieved through the feature that detects irregularities in the vehicle’s alignment: in the case of misalignments in the characteristic wheel angles (camber and toe), the vehicle can experience increased rolling resistance, leading to higher consumption and emissions. DAI recognizes these situations and notifies the vehicle.
Additionally, a safety feature is currently under development to prevent the potential loss of a wheel, a dangerous yet often underestimated phenomenon. In the event of a loosening of the wheel fastening nuts, micro-vibrational phenomena can occur, causing the nut to become loose. DAI detects these situations and alerts the vehicle.
Giovanni Blandina, founder and CEO of Easyrain:
I have several reasons to be proud of this partnership, but one stands out—the sense of optimism that has permeated our meetings during the negotiation phase. Perhaps the positiveatmosphere of the Motor Valley Fest facilitated our initial discussions with Miticocchio. However, looking to the future, I amdelighted with how Marelli’s team opened up to us, both from a technical and ethical standpoint, fully embracing our mission and our vision regarding the market potential of our products.
Our nextgoal is to develop the Proto-B version of the AIS system. I have no doubts about Marelli’s technical capabilities in making it an extraordinary product in terms of performance, as well as lightweight and cost-effective.
Today, with a prestigious partner like Marelli by our side, Easyrain can undoubtedly look further into the future and confidently take a seat at the table of automakers. This achievement demonstrates that Easyrain’s strong focus on its mission through sound ethics, which revolves around ourteam, is the right path for tackling the significant challenges faced by a startup in the automotive industry.
The agreement with Marelli is a team result, and that’s why I must thank my team for their incredible energy in facing this challenge every day.I can’t wait to see the results of this extraordinary collaboration and wish our teams the best of luck.
Francesco Miticocchio, VicePresident Strategic Planning, Technology & Innovation of Marelli:
The technology that Easyrain has developed, the AIS system, perfectly fits with one of the strategic pillar of Marelli: vehicle dynamics. We are investing to consolidate our positioning as solution provider in vehicle dynamics, where more and more functions are being developed, also cross-domain, thanks to the increasing presence of electronics in the vehicle. Safety, security, comfort, agility and energy management are new vehicle dynamics features that complement the traditional acceleration and speed. The AIS system is a key safety element that we are very happy to bring to market in partnership with Easyrain.
Besides the technology, we have found in Easyrain a partner that is very easy to work with: although they are a start-up, they have a very clear vision fully aligned with their technology development and with their business development activities. After the initial general discussions I have had with Giovanni Blandina, Easyrain CEO, we have mobilized our technical team that started the interactions with the team of Easyrain: it was very clear from the start that Easyrain had a very precise understanding of what they were able to do and what they needed from us. As it turned out, we were perfectly complementary: Easyrain had already spent a significant amount of time to conceive the AIS concept, basic configuration and algorithms, while Marelli had a long and consolidated experience in the design and industrialization optimization of many key components of the system itself.
It has taken only a few months for our teams to really integrate and start moving fast towards the Proto B.
Barely we had time to tone down the enthusiasm from the successful participation in the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and it’s already time to announce a new and significant milestone: Easyrain announces the subscription of a capital increase worth 5.8 million euros.
This new funding round is the third since Easyrain’s foundation, totaling 15.8 million euros, and it strengthens our position as an automotive startup in the field of safety system development among the most robust and promising worldwide.
This is evidenced by the invitation to the Future Lab at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and being listed among the 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2023 by the prestigious magazine Digital First, along with the growing interest from automakers. After signing an innovation contract with a major automotive group, a second manufacturer has started the integration of the AIS system into one of its electric vehicles. Following the innovation contract signed with a significant automotive group, we have commenced collaboration with a second manufacturer, seamlessly integrating our entire product ecosystem into one of their experimental vehicle. Simultaneously, Easyrain is actively engaged in productive discussions with other carmakers.
The new funding round was subscribed by Indaco Ventures Partners SGR and Progress Tech Transfer, which continue to support the company after the two previous capital increases, and by the new investors LIFTT and Equiter (through the RIF-T vehicle), which supported Easyrain’s mission from the very beginning – developing innovative safety systems to save lives. LCA Legal Study‘s emerging company and venture capital team managed the legal aspects of the investment round, providing assistance to Easyrain in all previous investment rounds.
The capital increase will enable Easyrain to support the 2023-2030 industrial plan, launch the DAI software on the market, and industrialize the AIS system.
Scheduled for production in late 2025, the Digital Aquaplaning Information (DAI) will transition from a virtual sensor capable of monitoring safety on wet roads to a full-fledged ADAS detection and calibration platform. The DAI will enhance autonomous driving safety through a new set of functionalities currently under development, aimed at improving the effectiveness of autonomous driving in low-grip conditions.
The revolutionary Aquaplaning Intelligent Solution (AIS) will reach the “production-ready” stage by autumn 2024, with the collaboration of a leading Tier-1 company in the automotive industry, supporting Easyrain in the industrialization phase. We will soon and proudly announce this agreement as well. The production version of AIS, known as AIS Proto-B, will be more compact, lightweight, and compliant with automotive industry production standards.
AIS is the first and only active safety system that changes road conditions by eliminating the risk element before the wheels encounter it. Through small injectors concealed within the bumper, the AIS sprays a controlled jet of water – only when the DAI sensor demands it – in front of the car’s front wheels, removing excess water from the road and restoring contact between the tires and the ground. AIS is, therefore, a crucial system for all vehicles, both traditional and assisted or autonomous driving ones.
Easyrain is focused on developing new technologies, and that’s why it has already begun to envision the new AIS system, capable of restoring traction in case of loss of control on wet, snowy, or icy roads.
Statement by Giovanni Blandina, CEO and founder of Easyrain:
The capital increase represents the recognition of a successful project and journey. The synergy between technical development and financial growth establishes Easyrain as a leading startup in the road safety field. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved so far. There is still a long way to go, but the increasing activities with different carmakers indicate that we are on the right track. I would like to thank the members of the Board of Directors, the funds Indaco Ventures, Progress Tech Transfer, Equiter, and LiFTT, the Bianchi Vimercati family, and my team for their extraordinary work and commitment. This significant milestone opens doors to ambitious goals, the most important of which are to expand our team and make our technologies available in the market.
Statement by Alvise Bonivento, partner at Indaco Venture Partners
We are delighted to continue supporting this project, which aims to place the crucial topic of driving safety in challenging road conditions back at the forefront of the automotive scene, with innovative solutions encompassing both software and hardware. Furthermore, having the chance to support an Italian startup that we have funded since its inception is an extra source of pride for us. We have great faith in this team’s capabilities to bring forth a project that can have a significant impact, even in terms of lives saved, and we are pleased to continue aiding them on this journey, both financially and by leveraging our experience and network in the sector.
Statement by Alberto Calvo, partner at Progress Tech Transfer:
Following this significant milestone for Easyrain fills us with great satisfaction, as it aligns with our strategy as a team that interprets venture capital, especially in the early stages, as a mission to support founders with capital, expertise, and connections. Easyrain is an exemplary case of a deeply technological startup that combines solid technical skills with commercial sensitivity. We invest not only capital but also relational resources and expertise accumulated through many years of experience in the industry and business community.
Statement by Giovanni Tesoriere, CEO at LIFTT:
Easyrain is a startup that has made automotive safety its mission, designing and implementing solutions that set new standards for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and mobility in the future. Competence and innovation are part of their DNA, as they are an expression of a territory dedicated to the automotive industry, reinterpreting the visionary component that determined its global success in the last century. It is no coincidence that the company has engaged in advanced dialogues with key players in the industry, and it is also no coincidence that it has become part of our portfolio after a careful analysis of their key parameters.
Statement by Carla Patrizia Ferrari, CEO at Equiter:
We believe in the importance of Easyrain’s industrial project, a promising reality in our territory that develops cutting-edge technological solutions for road safety. We intend to support its development in light of the solid industrial plan and the social value that the platform’s launch will have in terms of social impact. Reducing fatalities caused by aquaplaning incidents aligns with the European Union’s guidelines, which aim to achieve the goal of “zero road fatalities” by 2050.
Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to showcase our latest advancements in automotive safety at Festival of Speed’s Future Lab, Goodwood’s innovation pavilion packed with dynamic, interactive technologies.
We can’t wait to demonstrate the power of our systems and share how they are shaping the future of driving.
Visit our booth at the festival to experience firsthand the cutting-edge technologies that are making waves in the industry. Our team will be there to provide insights, answer your questions, and discuss how Easyrain is driving innovation in the automotive world.
Meet us at the Mobility on a Mission area!
Easyrain is committed to transforming road safety and revolutionizing the way we drive on low grip surfaces.
Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to showcase our latest advancements in automotive safety in one of the automotive industry’s finest event: Festival of Speed’s Future Lab, Goodwood’s innovation pavilion packed with dynamic, interactive technology.
We can’t wait to demonstrate the power of our systems and share how they are shaping the future of driving.
Visit our booth at the festival to experience firsthand the cutting-edge technologies that are making waves in the industry. Our team will be there to provide insights, answer your questions, and discuss how Easyrain is driving innovation in the automotive world.
We’re celebrating a decade of history and all of the people who have worked so hard to make this possible.
Entering our second decade, Easyrain is well positioned to become a new player in the field of Road Safety for human-driven and autonomous vehicles, with an offering of hardware, software, and cloud products for hazardous wet road conditions and other grip related issues.
We have wrapped up 10 years of innovation, development, and success in a video, but the best is yet to come!
