DENSO, a globally renowned mobility supplier, announced it has taken a stake in Envoy Technologies, an electric vehicle (EV) startup based in Culver City, California, that offers mobility services to the commercial real estate (CRE) industry.
Through the investment, DENSO aims to create new revenue streams by offering the benefits of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) to businesses, helping them move employees, customers and things more efficiently and safely.
Onsite mobility services
Envoy's Mobility as an Amenity™ service is a turn-key solution that includes technology to reserve and access vehicles
Founded in 2017 by real estate and tech entrepreneurs - Aric Ohana and Ori Sagie, Envoy partners with CRE industry pioneers to offer onsite mobility services like electric carsharing and EV charging for apartments, offices, and hotels.
Envoy's Mobility as an Amenity™ service is a turn-key solution that includes technology to reserve and access vehicles, driver insurance, maintenance, and electric vehicle chargers.
Even in the face of a global pandemic, the company has experienced record utilization amounting to more than 1.25 million electric miles driven. Envoy is currently available in 10 states and 14 markets in the U.S.
DENSO’s global reach and involvement
"Early on, we realized that the world's transition to electric mobility will significantly impact our built world. With investors like DENSO, along with others from commercial real estate, mobility, and energy, we are poised to accelerate that transition sustainably," said Aric Ohana, Envoy's Co-Founder and CEO.
"DENSO’s global reach and involvement in all things mobility will provide Envoy the ability to scale with its products and services, and standardize electric mobility, as well as related energy solutions within communities around the world," added Ori Sagie, Envoy's Co-Founder and Executive Chairman.
EV car-sharing services
DENSO will strengthen the Envoy’s ability to propose and enforce mobility favors, identify the requirements
By taking a stake in the company, DENSO will strengthen Envoy’s ability to propose and implement mobility services, identify the requirements and functions of vehicles used in EV car-sharing services, and create new business models that link commercial properties with mobility.
"As mobility needs change, DENSO continues to change along with them," said Yoshifumi Kato, a Senior Executive Officer at DENSO Corporation, adding "Collaborating with Envoy allows us to combine our expertise in electrification and fleet management with their knowledge of commercial real estate, helping us both improve mobility for businesses so they can accomplish their goals more seamlessly."
New mobility areas
DENSO has long been focused on the MaaS market, and it is a key part of the company’s Second Founding, a strategic shift that has pushed DENSO into new mobility areas. In support of this, DENSO has actively built strategic partnerships in and outside Japan to meet the needs of an array of mobility providers.
These have included taking stakes in MaaS Global, a Finland-based developer of Whim, the world’s first full-fledged MaaS service, and Bond Mobility, which offers micromobility services in urban environments. DENSO continues to seek additional partnerships and innovations in MaaS to help create transportation solutions that are safer, more secure and greener for all.
