German autonomous vehicle developer Holon, a subsidiary of automotive supplier BENTELER Group, has selected PTC’s Windchill+ software-as-a-service product lifecycle management platform to support the development of its Level-4 autonomous electric vehicle, the companies said.
The cloud-based PLM system is being used to manage the development of the Holon Urban, an autonomous, fully electric mover designed for public and shared mobility applications. Holon said the transition from manual and paper-based workflows to a digital environment is intended to help the vehicle meet stringent automotive industry standards and support a five-year timeline toward scalable production.
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Holon completed the Windchill+ implementation in about six months, establishing a fully digital product development framework. The system provides real-time access to product data and connects engineering and development teams across Germany and the United States, enabling closer collaboration and faster decision-making, the company said.
“Our vision is to become a next-generation OEM for autonomous public mobility,” said Sven Herzig, chief sales officer at Holon. “By building on BENTELER’s automotive expertise and introducing a modern digital backbone, we are creating the foundation to deliver compliant, industrialised vehicles at scale.”
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The Holon Urban is designed as a barrier-free vehicle with capacity for up to 15 passengers, targeting applications ranging from fixed-route public transport and on-demand services to ride pooling and goods transport. To support these use cases, Holon has developed a flexible production concept that allows multiple vehicle variants to be assembled on a single line.
PTC said the Windchill+ platform is intended to help manufacturers manage the complexity associated with electric, connected and autonomous vehicles. “As the industry moves toward autonomous and software-defined mobility, manufacturers need a digital product backbone that can keep pace,” said Robert Dahdah, chief revenue officer at PTC.
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Holon said the adoption of cloud-based PLM is a key step in accelerating development cycles, improving traceability and ensuring compliance as it works toward bringing its Level-4 autonomous electric mover into series production.