Latest news with #AmirHever
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Hertz Adds UVeye Drive-Through Inspections To Avoid Ding Disputes
UVeye drive-through inspection station at Hertz rental location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta ... More International Airport. It can be frustrating, and sometimes, expensive, when a rental car customer is charged for damage to a vehicle when it's returned. It's even more maddening when the customer claims the damage was already on the vehicle before he or she ever got behind the wheel. But now an arrangement between instant vehicle drive-through inspection company UVeye and rental car giant Hertz, aims to avoid those conflicts and ensure the vehicle is safe. Starting last summer at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and as of earlier this year, at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, Hertz vehicles are inspected before and after each rental. It takes only seconds. 'What we're doing with Hertz is when a customer rents the vehicle, will go through the system,' said UVeye co-founder and CEO Amir Hever, in an interview. 'We understand exactly what is the condition when he when he rented the vehicle. He goes through the system again. So it gives him a really, kind of a peace of mind that no one can all of a sudden bill him for something that he's not accountable for.' A report is sent to the customer's smartphone right away so they can examine it and take up any issues immediately with the agency, if necessary, or simply feel peace of mind the vehicle is in good working order and safe, according to Hever. Entering the rental car segment represents a major move for UVeye, which began in Israel and has expanded globally, including locations in the U.S. Its drive-through inspection stations are powered by AI and high-resolution cameras to instantly detect both external and internal flaws along with the condition of the tires in just seconds as the vehicle passes through. The combination of speed and efficiency for the inspections were attractive attributes for Hertz, according to Mike Moore, executive vice president, technical operations. 'We're leveraging cutting-edge AI solutions to transform our maintenance and inspection processes while bringing unprecedented transparency to our customers,' said Moore in emailed remarks. 'Through consistent, data-backed assessments and clear documentation, our customers can have complete confidence in the condition of our vehicles both pre- and post-rent." Initially marketed as a security measure at international borders to detect contraband, UVeye has quickly expanded the use of its equipment at dealerships and fleets to assist in diagnosing and detecting service issues through relationships with companies that include General Motors Co., Hyundai, and Volvo Cars, Amazon Cars and Carmax. UVeye placed its first inspection units for Hertz last summer at the Atlanta airport, which is ranked by Airports Council International as the busiest in the world, making it an effective test bed in a high-traffic situation. The goals were to examine the customer experience, whether or not the systems actually saved time and overall 'make sure there's a real fit,' said Yaron Saghiv, UVeye marketing director in an interview. The companies waited to publicly announce their relationship until recently as they determined if those goals were met. It turns out, they learned important lessons that led to some key improvements regarding the reports provided directly to customers, a new aspect to UVeye's business. 'It's the first time that we're actually working directly with consumers, presenting them our detections so we wanted to make sure the reports are really easy to understand or really simplified, so you can open it in a mobile phone and you can really understand everything in the first 10 seconds that you're looking at the report,' said Hever. This isn't UVeye's first relationship regarding rental vehicles. In January, 2024, the company announced a partnership with GM and fleet management software company Connexion Mobility to inspect vehicles dealerships rent or lend to customers as their personal cars or trucks are serviced. The inspection results are integrated into Connexion's OnTRAC platform to document damage before and after use by a customer. The results are also sent to the customer by text message. But the arrangement with Hertz is UVeye's first major play in the rental car segment dealing directly with customers. It's not the last. UVeye is speaking with other rental companies and expects to announce those new relationships in the future, according to Saghiv. Meanwhile, while the companies aren't ready to announce specific locations, air travelers renting from Hertz can expect to see UVeye inspection stations at more airports over time. 'The plan with Hertz is to be in all major airports to offer kind of the same service, same experience to all the customers,' said Hever.
Reuters
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
AI-driven vehicle inspection startup UVeye raises $191 mln in equity, debt
Jan 29 (Reuters) - UVeye, a startup that uses AI-driven technology to inspect vehicles to avoid defects and target repairs, said on Wednesday it has raised $191 million in debt and equity to scale up production in North America and Europe. The company's $41 million funding round was led by Woven Capital, the investment arm of Toyota (7203.T), opens new tab and its $150 million debt facility was structured by asset management firm Trinity Capital. The latest funding brings UVeye's total capital raised to $380.5 million. UVeye, based in Teaneck, New Jersey, runs what it calls an "MRI for vehicles," using external scanners that inspect underneath and all around vehicles, records the engine sound, plus runs on-board diagnostics in seconds for automakers, new and used dealers, including CarMax (KMX.N), opens new tab, car auction houses and insurance companies. The same manual inspections for defects or repairs take on average 20 to 30 minutes and do not deliver the same consistent results as the artificial intelligence-backed technology used by UVeye, CEO Amir Hever told Reuters. "When someone works a shift of eight to ten hours, they can't inspect every vehicle the same way, I mean you just get tired," Hever said. "Our system simply doesn't get tired." Hever said UVeye's solution detects 96% of vehicle issues compared with 24% in manual service checks. Uveye's AI technology learns to look for problems or defects that are specific to different car models and brands, Hever said. The company has been installing its scanners at Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab distribution centres in the United States that check every vehicle when it returns from its delivery route. "If there are any safety issues, we ground the vehicle until they fix it," Hever said. Most of UVeye's business so far has been in the U.S. market, but the company plans significant expansion in Europe and should also expand into Japan in 2026, Hever added.
