Kinetic Automation announced the opening of a second Bay Area hub in San Leandro, CA.
Kinetic is a 4-year-old firm doing “ADAS and ADAS-adjacent” post-repair calibration, its CEO told Autobody News in May, as it debuted in Northern California. The Orange County-based company dubs itself “an automotive infrastructure company that delivers digital repair and servicing for modern vehicles,” according to a press release on the opening of its most recent outsourcing hub.
The new standalone facility supports a growing network of automotive repair partners with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) repair, calibration and other precision digital services, the release said.
“As EVs and ADAS-equipped models become more sophisticated, having the right technology and infrastructure in place to safely re-evaluate and calibrate these vehicles is critical,” said Nikhil Naikal, Kinetic CEO. “The new hub expands Kinetic’s ability to deliver the accuracy and quality our partners need to serve customers with next-generation vehicles.” Naikal cofounded the company in 2021 with Sander Marques.
Kinetic bowed its first area hub in San Carlos. The new one is in San Leandro: 25 miles north, across San Francisco Bay and near the Oakland International Airport.
The first hub opened for Chilton Auto Body locations; the new one will serve body shops and dealerships along the I-880 corridor from Berkeley and Oakland to Hayward, including additional Chilton shops, Fix Auto franchisees, and other operators expected to sign on in coming months.
Naikal said in the May interview the company was defining details with a second MSO partner in a different but nearby market to Chilton’s in San Carlos. According to the release, a third Bay Area hub is set for later this year.
Kinetic said its certified technicians use AI and advanced robotics to expedite calibration and digital programming of modern vehicles equipped with ADAS, focusing especially on electrified models, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid and autonomous vehicles. At current rates, about 10% of the 16 million cars sold annually in the U.S. are electrified.
After a collision, diagnosing and restoring these systems to their factory-engineered state of safety is essential. By delivering precise calibrations, Kinetic helps return vehicles to drivers with the full protection their safety technology is designed to provide.
The hub builds on Kinetic’s overall footprint, which includes locations in Southern California, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Redwood City. Each new facility expands Kinetic’s capacity to serve more partners and deliver repairs and calibrations for EVs and ADAS-equipped vehicles at scale. Techs leverage Kinetic’s proprietary AI, computer vision and robotics to provide precise and efficient digital repair of modern vehicles.
Kinetic has raised at least $31 million in venture capital through last June, according to Crunchbase. Investors across both include Menlo Ventures, Lux Capital, Construct Capital and Haystack Ventures, along with the investment arms of insurers Liberty Mutual and Allstate.
The San Leandro site saw a grand opening celebration Sept. 3.
