Driven by Innovation: Ultrium, a Breakthrough AI Technology Poised to Transform Mobility and Technology in Detroit
Photo courtesy of Ultrium-(LR) Paris Plain, Justin Ayler, Mario Patton
CEO Paris Plain and co-founders Mario Patton and Justin Ayler, driven by their unwavering dedication, embarked on the ambitious journey of developing innovative AI technology in the vibrant city of Detroit. Despite their demanding daily jobs, they put their passion and experience into creating Ultrium, a first-of-its-kind innovation destined to revolutionize the technology and automotive industry.
Ayler became a valued member of the Ultrium team just a few months ago, taking on the role of Fleet Management Consultant and becoming managing partner. With over 15 years of experience, he has successfully operated and managed a highly efficient fleet company.
“Ultrium by profession, we are a software company. This is what we do and specialize in. We discovered that we had a lot of good talent and knowledge to develop in the automotive and mobility sector. “What we wanted to do was understand what the issues are that people face in the mobility space,” Plain said.
“One of the things we found was just its daily maintenance; It’s one of the biggest costs we all have when it comes to cars. It’s also a safety issue.”
Ultrium, the epitome of advanced technology, employs real-time vehicle canbus data and cutting-edge AI to predict maintenance needs well in advance. This proactive approach not only allows customers to avoid costly and unforeseen breakdowns, but also provides a significant increase in vehicle performance, improving your overall driving experience.
“Because we have this data rate, we can provide this information to you in real time. Typically, if something goes wrong with your car, you take it to a local mechanic or dealership,” Plain said.
“We’re providing all this data on your phone, laptop, tablet or Internet-enabled device, and you can access it and see exactly what they (mechanics) will see now.”
Ultrium’s main objective is to provide fleet managers and individual car owners with the resources they need to ensure the smooth and safe operation of their vehicles. Through comprehensive utilization of cutting-edge AI and machine learning technologies, they offer advanced predictive maintenance solutions. These solutions are designed to provide customers with peace of mind and ultimately save valuable time and resources in the long run.
Data is collected from a portable device connected to a data processing server located at the Ultrium office in Newlab.
Photo courtesy of Ultrium-CEO Paris Plain
“You plug it into your car’s OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) port. It has cellular data which just transfers data back and forth, and all the data goes here (to the server).
“It starts sending that data to us immediately. It takes about a month until we have a good portfolio of who you are and what’s going on with your car, but after that there are daily updates.” Simple said.
Ultrium’s innovative technology is revolutionizing the automotive industry in Detroit, completely transforming the approach to vehicle maintenance. Ultrium’s state-of-the-art software and hardware can accurately anticipate maintenance requirements well before they become significant problems.
“Our industries collided to create this. I was on the vehicle testing side while he (Paris) was on the technology side. So I was able to see how all this data is entered and understand how it works. So I’m familiar with working with this technology,” Patton said.
Receiving $100,000 from Michigan Central allowed Plain and Patton to launch their first Ultrium pilot and continue building the software and hardware. Ultrium has made significant progress in its research and development efforts, culminating in the successful development of a prototype.
This prototype has undergone rigorous testing in pilot programs, demonstrating its effectiveness and reliability. As a result, Ultrium achieved a notable 15% increase in forecast accuracy, leading to a substantial 20% reduction in maintenance expenses for our initial partners. They have transitioned to the pilot stages of this technology with a local towing company.
“I met them (Access Point Towing) through Detroit Means Business; they are black-owned, smart, super experienced and wise leaders and businesses. So we thought it would be a really good relationship because they touch and pick up cars every day,” Plain said.
“We’re using this data as a bridge for real consumers to discover the issue, and we’ve been running this pilot for about three months.”
New innovations are on the horizon for Ultrium. Plain remembers recently meeting an executive engineer at Tesla. After a few months, the Ultrium team is in partnership negotiations and discussing proposals to improve battery management for Tesla vehicles that will be prototyped in Newlab.
“My team is great; We have three engineers. Mario, myself, the full-stack developer, and Lindsey, our organizational development person. She’s amazing,” Plain said. “Mario, this man likes numbers. I don’t know how this guy deciphers the numbers, but his personality is so outgoing and he also has great range.”
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