Benteler acquires Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Ioki
With this acquisition, Benteler has positioned itself as the “first European full-service provider for autonomous mobility.” Deutsche Bahn and Benteler have now signed a corresponding agreement, as announced by both Benteler and Ioki. However, details of the transaction remain confidential, including the purchase price and other terms. The only indication provided is that the acquisition is expected to be completed “soon.”
The Benteler Group has already outlined the future division of responsibilities to establish the aforementioned “full-service provider for autonomous mobility”: Benteler’s subsidiary Holon develops and produces the well-known electric shuttle Holon Urban. Ioki will contribute its “platform and routing technology for on-demand and public transport integration,” while Benteler Mobility will handle the operation and financing of autonomous fleets.
“As a result, cities, transit agencies, and mobility providers gain access to a comprehensive, technologically advanced mobility offering from a single source – spanning vehicles, software, and operations,” Benteler states. For example, Ioki’s mobility analyses will identify potential areas “identify potential areas where autonomous vehicles such as the HOLON urban can meaningfully complement and enhance public transport.”
This offering is set to expand not only across Europe but also globally in the future. “While ioki has primarily operated in Europe so far, being part of the BENTELER Group unlocks access to international markets,” the announcement states regarding growth prospects. “Its driver-based rideooling solution remains a strategic pillar of both the customer relationship and the product roadmap and will be further developed under the new ownership.” However, the offering will remain vehicle- and system-agnostic: customers can combine Ioki’s software with Holon’s vehicles, but they are not obliged to do so—they may also use autonomous technologies from other providers.
Ioki was launched in 2017 as Deutsche Bahn’s ride-sharing service using electric vehicles and was spun off into a separate subsidiary in 2018. Since then, it has delivered several projects, initially in Hamburg in collaboration with VHH for an on-demand service. Ioki has consistently focused on on-demand software, while deployment has been organised by partners such as VHH. Today, Ioki employs over 100 staff, its software has been used in over 200 transport services, and, according to the announcement, it has served around 10 million passengers to date. Benteler describes Ioki as one of the “most successful spin-offs of the Deutsche Bahn Group”.
“The acquisition brings together HOLON’s manufacturing expertise and Benteler Mobility’s operational capabilities with the digital platform solutions by ioki – hardware, services, and software all in one place,” says Ralf Göttel, CEO of the Benteler Group. “Our data-driven mobility expertise, combined with deep public-transport know-how and global reach, enables sustainable, connected mobility. European technology for the world. Together with HOLON and Benteler Mobility, we have strong partners at our side who will support our further development in the long term.”
“As part of the BENTELER Group, we can further strengthen and scale the market leadership of our successfully established software and analytics products on an international level,” adds Michael Barillère-Scholz, Co-Founder and CEO of Ioki. “Our mission is to connect people intelligently. Our data-driven mobility expertise, combined with deep public-transport know-how and global reach, enables sustainable, connected mobility. European technology for the world. Together with Benteler Mobility and HOLON, we have strong partners at our side who will support our further development in the long term.”
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