The Seattle-based startup seodrive is looking to change the way drivers approach driving in the future by offering a fleet of electric vehicles, as well as an autonomous driving mode.
The startup is partnering with Tesla Motors to develop a technology called the Tesla-Sego platform, which will make it possible to connect cars, trucks and buses with autonomous driving capabilities.
“If you think about how cars work now, they’re basically self-driving cars that have sensors and computers to get the best performance,” said Robert Pritchard, seo’s founder and CEO.
“Now, we’re able to have that data and the technology and the expertise to bring it together into a single platform.”
Sego, which means “energy,” is based on Tesla’s battery technology and has been designed to allow electric vehicles to drive in crowded urban areas without needing to be pulled over by police or other authorities.
Pritchard said that, for now, seodream has been looking at using its own fleet of 500 electric vehicles that are already on the road in cities around the world.
He said that the startup is also looking to bring the technology to more commercial markets, including the U.S., where it’s already building a fleet.
Piotchard said he is excited about the possibilities for seodrop.
“What we want to do is try to get it into commercial markets and put a lid on the market of cars that are in a congested environment and that are going to have a lot of occupants,” he said.
But the startup needs to secure more funding to build its fleet.
It needs to raise at least $1 million to be ready for commercial markets.
Pritson said that Seodrive hopes to have its first commercial vehicle on the roads by the end of the year, and hopes to be able to get that to market by the middle of next year.
In order to do that, the startup has to get more financing from Tesla.
Pritson hopes to raise $2 million from the venture capitalists behind the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
The startup also needs to build out its fleet of the cars, which are being built on an open source hardware platform called the Seodream platform.
Sego also wants to work with Tesla to build autonomous vehicles that can be connected to the vehicle itself, and to be used by drivers who do not need to be involved in a car accident or other incidents.
“We want to build a platform that allows the car to be connected with the vehicle and that lets you take control of it,” Pritkind said.
