Woven Planet Holdings Inc, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, has taken control of Renovo Motors Inc, a pioneering Silicon Valley-based automotive operating system developer.
Woven Planet will now use Renovo’s specialist software to develop what it describes as “the most programmable vehicles on the planet” via Arene (Toyota’s vehicle development platform to enable modern software development tools and best practices in the automotive industry), in line with its vision of ‘Mobility to Love, Safety to Live’.
Renovo is responsible for creating the first commercially available data-management platform that enables auto makers to continuously learn from their production vehicles, and use that data to make ADAS and infotainment feature improvements, as well as resolving critical safety and potential warranty issues, throughout the life of the vehicle. The company says its ‘Complete Loop’ approach allows auto makers to develop vehicles that get smarter, become safer, increase in performance, and grow in reliability through every day of ownership.
The acquisition will add depth to Woven Planet’s resources, particularly for Arene, Woven Planet’s open vehicle development platform, by: bolstering its elite team with top-tier engineers who have deep expertise in building a complete software-defined vehicle infrastructure stack; providing a platform and software that are proven to work across multiple original equipment manufacturer (OEM) platforms, well-aligned with the goal of establishing a hardware-agnostic operating system; and bringing a robust, established technology ecosystem of industry partners.
Following on the heels of recent acquisitions made this year, Woven Planet says it purchase of Renovo complements its strategy to bring together world-class talent and expertise in automated driving technology, next-generation mapping and vehicle operating systems, ensuring that the Toyota subsidiary will have a major role to play in the future of mobility.
“The acquisition of Renovo supports Woven Planet’s work in transforming worldwide mobility,” explained Nikos Michalakis, senior VP of Software Platform, Woven Planet Holdings. “A key part in delivering our ‘Mobility to Love, Safety to Live’ vision is to enable the most programmable vehicles on the planet – opening vehicle programming to everyone by simplifying vehicle software development and increasing deployment frequency without compromising safety and security. With Renovo having deep roots in the space, we immediately recognized the opportunity and inherent value of the company. The technical and cultural fit could not have been better and all of us are excited to bring our expertise and technology together to power a new era of automotive technology.”
“We are in awe with what the Woven Planet team has been building – and are thrilled to join them in creating holistic mobility solutions that will truly benefit humankind,” added Christopher Heiser, CEO, Renovo Motors. “We are united around a singular goal to connect the most ubiquitous software and automotive technology in the industry. In Woven Planet and Toyota, we’ve found partners committed to doing exactly what we have always wanted to do on a global scale, and that’s a great feeling.”