German luxury automaker Porsche has partnered with ClearMotion to validate the U.S. startup’s active suspension technology and road-reading software and has signed a licensing agreement for its technology, the companies said on Tuesday.
ClearMotion CEO Zack Anderson declined to say which Porsche models the company’s technology could be used for, but told Reuters it could be used in any electric or combustion-engine model without any need to redesign those vehicles.
“Vehicle-motion is the next frontier in delivering a markedly superior experience for drivers and passengers,” Ingo Albers, Porsche’s vice president for drive systems said in a statement. “This collaboration is intended to lay the groundwork for evaluating an even closer long-term cooperation with ClearMotion.”
The ClearMotion1 suspension system uses a combination of hardware – a small unit containing a motor and power electronics sits in each wheel well of a vehicle – and software to read the road ahead, which the startup says cuts motion inside a car by about 75% versus the best available technology.
Last December, ClearMotion said it would supply that technology for Nio’s upcoming ET9 in a contract covering 750,000 cars over the lifetime of the luxury sedan model.
ClearMotion will also validate its RoadMotion “road surface fingerprinting software” with Porsche, which Anderson told Reuters collects road data, uploads it to the cloud then streams it back to cars to make for a more comfortable ride and avoid obstacles like potholes.
“What Porsche is excited about is really our ability to deliver performance without any sacrifice around comfort,” Anderson said.
He said the startup will announce relationships with a number of other automakers in the months ahead.
(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
