BENTELER is highlighting its international business goals in autonomous transportation by creating a new brand, HOLON. As a result, the business unit formerly known as BENTELER EV Systems, which was spun off at the end of 2021, will adopt a new name. In the future, the company will concentrate on the business of completely electric, autonomous movers under the name HOLON.
“Mobility around the world is undergoing rapid change. BENTELER is optimally prepared for this – 85% of our products are technology and propulsion-method agnostic. In parallel with the traditional automotive business, innovative, digitally connected, and autonomous mobility services promise high growth in the coming years. With our engineering and manufacturing expertise, we are predestined to fill a gap in this hitherto strongly software-dominated field. By founding HOLON, an independent legal entity, we can react flexibly to changing customer requirements in this dynamic market. In this way, we will make the best possible use of growth opportunities.” explained CEO of the BENTELER Group, Ralf Göttel.
HOLON’s managing director, Marco Kollmeier, highlights: “Autonomous movers are an essential part of tomorrow’s mobility – emission-free, comfortable, reliable and, above all, inclusive. HOLON will be the first OEM for autonomous movers with the standards and scaling potential we know from the automotive industry. With our platform technology, our vehicle expertise, and our strong partner network, it’s our goal to redefine passenger transport – in both the public and private sectors.”
According to Marco Kollmeier, the new brand’s structure is distinct from everything else offered by OEMs for autonomous movers. “To achieve this, HOLON combines the best of two worlds: We combine the speed, passion and entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up with the strength, resources and expertise of an established automotive company. This is how we support our customers in implementing safe and environmentally friendly mobility solutions that accelerate their businesses.”
The Greek word holon means “anything that is both a whole and a part of a whole”. The new brand’s motto, “HOLON – Established Tomorrow,” echoes the company’s focus on the future. The CES trade exhibition in Las Vegas in 2023 will be the fledgling company’s next major achievement. In January of next year, HOLON will unveil the first autonomous moving vehicle in the world that satisfies automotive standards, leading in terms of production quality, comfort while driving, and safety.
HOLON has collaborated closely with a number of partners on the design and implementation of the autonomous mover, including the renowned Italian design firm Pininfarina, the mobility service provider Beep, and Mobileye, an Intel company. Beep is introducing technology and services for the deployment and operating systems of a mobility service while Mobileye develops the self-driving system for the autonomous mover. The autonomous mover was created by Pininfarina. HOLON is in charge of designing and producing the mover for the cooperation using its world-class engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Beginning in 2025, the shuttles will be manufactured in the United States.
Customers and application areas include governments, private institutions, campuses, airports, national parks, and others in addition to public transportation firms. Another issue is last-mile delivery, a developing area of transportation that has previously run afoul of the objective of lowering traffic and local emissions in metropolitan areas. In order to do this, HOLON also plans to develop unique autonomous transport variations in the future.
BENTELER and HOLON are also looking at the prospect of collaborating with additional strategic partners and investors for the new business in order to boost the growth potential.The first pilot applications, which will be created in 2023 and will also be used outside of North America- to be disclosed in the upcoming months.
