Porsche plans super smooth suspension for future models

German luxury carmaker Porsche has partnered with ClearMotion to validate the US start-up’s active suspension technology and road-reading software and has signed a licensing agreement for its technology, the companies said on Tuesday.

ClearMotion CEO Zack Anderson declined to say which Porsche models the company’s technology could be used for, but said it could be used in any electric or combustion-engine model without any need to redesign those vehicles.

“Vehicle-motion is the next frontier in delivering a markedly superior experience for drivers and passengers,” Ingo Albers, Porsche vice-president for drive systems, said. “This collaboration is intended to lay the groundwork for evaluating an even closer long-term co-operation with ClearMotion.”

The ClearMotion1 suspension system uses a combination of hardware — a small unit containing a motor and power electronics sits in each wheel well of a vehicle — and software to read the road ahead, which the start-up says cuts motion inside a car by about 75% compared with the best available technology.

The system is said to be significantly more proactive than technology currently featured on the market’s most luxurious cars, including air-sprung models such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Footage of a modified car with Clearmotion’s tech shows it driving over speed humps and bumpy roads with no visible body movement.

Last December, ClearMotion said it would supply that technology for Nio’s upcoming ET9 in a contract covering 750,000 cars over the lifetime of the luxury sedan model.

ClearMotion will also validate its RoadMotion “road surface fingerprinting software” with Porsche, which Anderson said collected road data, uploaded it to the cloud then streamed it back to cars to make for a more comfortable ride and avoid obstacles like potholes.

“What Porsche is excited about is really our ability to deliver performance without any sacrifice around comfort,” Anderson said.

He said the start-up would announce relationships with a number of other carmakers in the months ahead.