Avis Taps Israeli Startup Otonomo To Monetize Data From Connected Car Fleet

The Avis Budget Group announced a new partnership last week with Israeli startup Otonomo, a data services platform for autonomous and connected cars, to monetize the data generated by its connected fleet.

The US car rental company, which is also a global mobility solutions provider that owns Avis, Budget, and car-sharing network Zipcar, plans to link its global fleet of more than 100,000 connected cars to Otonomo’s cloud-based marketplace.

Otonomo’s automotive data services platform will help Avis Budget Group gain new insights from its diverse range of makers. models, and telematics technologies, which in turn will help Avis streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

Avis’s fleet is said to cover some four billion road miles this year. It is anticipated to generate over seven billion road miles of data with its fully connected fleet in 2020.

Otonomo’s platform will also provide Avis Budget Group with new opportunities for collaboration with cities and other partners that benefit its customers and the general public.

“By partnering with Otonomo, we can better utilize the data captured by our connected vehicles,” said Arthur Orduna, chief innovation officer at Avis Budget Group. “The Otonomo Platform also allows us to safely and securely engage with new public and commercial partners, and together, make an impact on what the future of mobility looks like for consumers, communities and companies alike.”

“Otonomo is a pioneer in transforming car data into valuable insights, and we’re excited at the opportunity to realize our vision in partnership with Avis Budget Group,” said Ben Volkow, CEO and co-founder of Otonomo. “The global scale of Avis Budget Group, along with its fleet management expertise, offers many new possibilities to realize value from connected car data from fleet-wide predictive maintenance and streamline rental car returns, to smart city and beyond.”

Otonomo was founded in 2015 by Volkow and Avner Cohen, and has raised over $40 million to date. Investors have included Aptiv (Delphi Automotive), Dell Technologies Capital, Hearst Ventures, Stageone Ventures, and Maniv Mobility. Otonomo also has a presence in the US, Europe, and Japan.

Earlier this year, the cloud-based Israeli startup partnered with Daimler AG on a new Neutral Server initiative to provide Mercedes-Benz connected car customers with digital services.