Quantron and Goldstone Tech plan OEM-agnostic MaaS JV, ETO Motors first client

Quantron AG, a specialist in sustainable freight and passenger transport from Augsburg, Germany and Goldstone Technologies Ltd (GTL), the Hyderabad-based business intelligence and IT services company, are to set up a joint venture. The aim is to develop technology to host and enable the digital platform for Quantron’s 360deg ecosystem Quantron-as-a-Service (QaaS). The OEM-agnostic platform will power the various services entailed in QaaS.

Transactions ranging from vehicle deployment, route planning, charging or refuelling, use of filling stations, energy consumption as well as performance measurement, amongst others, will be bundled and offered to customers / fleet operators and logistics companies in the target markets of Europe, the Middle East, USA and India.

GTL, which operates in the US, Europe, Japan and India and a listed firm of BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India, provides technical support outsourcing, forte (UDS) migration, and professional consulting services.

Under the joint venture, Quantron will contribute its market knowledge and deploy its zero-emission vehicles through the digital platform, while GTL will supply the software and handle the integration of the customised platform as a technical development partner. The joint venture will also cover the distribution, sale and commercialisation of the software as a white-label solution to third parties. The JV will be established in Augsburg, Germany and Hyderabad with plans to set up a US branch in Q3/2023.

Through the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) approach, Quantron-as-a-Service will provide its customers with trucks and buses at a price per kilometre. The digital platform will therefore operate as a transaction platform, where all processes are orchestrated in the background. Via its user front end, customers will also be able to measure the performance of the zero-emission vehicle to increase efficiency, such as hydrogen consumption, kilometres driven or CO2 mitigated. This can, for example, be used by the customer also to trade GHG (greenhouse gas) quotas, where allowed by the regulator. As a value-added service, the platform will also be used to provide insurance (insurance-as-a-service) and, in the medium term, enable trading of CO2 certificates.

Commenting on the announcement of the joint venture, Pavan Chavali, Managing Director of GTL said, “We are excited and look forward to establishing this JV as a key enabler for the unique Quantron-as-a-Service software and transaction platform. This innovative platform will combine transaction capabilities from fuel (hydrogen) billing and roaming, fleet management, geomapping location services for hydrogen fuelling stations, Service capabilities and many more.“

Michael Perschke, CEO of Quantron AG, added: “We will be serving a market which is undergoing a dramatic transformation, where logistic companies have an urgent need for decarbonisation and organising their business in a digital and more effective way. Our joint venture will be a key enabler for the transformation to zero-emission transportation. We anticipate this market to be valued between 150-250 billion euros (Rs 1,318,200 crore to Rs 2,197,000 crore) by 2030. Together with our Indian partner ETO Motors, we will have close to 1,000 vehicles on the road from the very beginning, using the Beta Version software solution developed in cooperation with GTL and as part of Quantron-as-a-Service. Our ambition is to onboard more partners in due course and become a full-service transaction platform for Mobility-as-a-Service.”

In September 2022, Quantron had inked a strategic partnership with Hyderabbad-based ETO Motors to launch electric three-wheelers in Europe, Quantron trucks and buses in India. The plans include EV retrofitment kits, and hydrogen vehicles and infrastructure.