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EV warranty startup Amber is expanding nationwide , bringing on new vehicles and offering a raw remote symptomatic CAT scan — all signs that the one - twelvemonth - sure-enough caller is putting its late $ 3.18 millionseed roundto good use .
The inauguration launched an aftermarket guarantee intersection for Tesla vehicle called AmberCare — which is a suite of warranty plan that wrap up various parts of the galvanizing drivetrain , as well as service at authorised workshop — in 10 land back in March . That is now expanding to 47 states thanks to a newfangled partnership with Lexington National Insurance Corporation .
The only holdouts are Alaska , Massachusetts , and EV haven California — though Amber says it expect to be live in the latter two by the end of this year . AmberCare will be available for Rivian vehicles in that same time frame of reference , with Kia and Hyundai eV becoming eligible in the first quarter of 2025 .
Amber is also launching a VIN - specific removed diagnostic review product for Tesla vehicles , billing it as a form of “ telehealth ” checkup choice for your railroad car . Amber will do a complimentary outback inspection for any owner who go for for AmberCare , and will offer a more comprehensive variation for $ 99 .
The two proclamation stage a whole tone up for Amber , which lie in of just six employees and is about to gain its 100th client , according to CEO and founding father Joe Pak .
“ I will admit that in the root there has been healthy scepticism . It ’s a new insurance policy or quasi - insurance offering that we ’re reach out customer with , ” he told TechCrunch on a video call . “ But , you sleep together , like one customer after another , and one swell review after another , we ’ve been scaling . ”
Pak enjoin this stiff growing is help Amber devise for when it is finally able to launch in California , which expect non - automotive dealers sell aftermarket warranties to register those as policy products . That could be a big moment for Amber , since the nation has about half of its addressable market in the U.S.
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Pak recite TechCrunch in March that the company ’s approach to customer learning was going to be to run into Tesla possessor where they are — in other words , online . That has gone well enough that non - customer have started call in Amber looking for helper with problem .
“ People actually have it off that there ’s a phone routine to call when something breaks because it ’s unimaginable to reach Tesla support , ” he sound out .
When those non - customer and customers likewise make a call , Amber will now have its newfangled remote diagnostic inspection product to volunteer alongside AmberCare . This involves tap into Tesla ’s diagnosticstoolkit , which gives access to firmware codes and alert , and even information coming from the elevator car ’s battery direction software . It allows Amber to see warnings signs of impending trouble , up to something as serious as if the car ’s barrage fire is about to go .
Amber sustain access code to at least seven day ’ worth of data from the elevator car , and client can revoke that accession at any point after . The society also has accession to a pilot version of Tesla ’s fleet API , which formally launched lately last twelvemonth , that lets Amber pull out more elaborated information — like odometer reading — to get a more comprehensive flavor at the health of the fomite .
Pak said the “ thaumaturgy ” of what Amber does with this new offering is being able to interpret all this data . That ’s why one of the company ’s six employees is a senior outback diagnostic technician who spent 10 age at Tesla , and another who spent 10 years as one of Tesla ’s service advisors .
Pulling all this information is not just of the essence for Amber ’s ability to roll up fomite account for customer . It also might help open newfangled lines of line .
Pak said that fleet proprietor and dealers have expressed sake in working with Amber to originate a pre - qualified program based on the information the inauguration can remotely pull off of the cable car . That could be a blessing to Amber ’s bottom line , and also solve one of the trickier headaches of buying a used EV , which is that dealers can be coy or unlimited tight - lipped about the vehicle ’s battery health .
Pak say he appreciate Tesla formalizing its attack to this form of fleet data point , even if it inevitably charges for access , because he used to lead the developer ecosystem and API teams atSamsara , which bundles data point from internet - connected devices installed on fleet fomite . “ I think it ’s a majuscule sign , ” he said . “ There are a great deal of asks of you from all these [ other fellowship ] , and being able to rescue uptime and the right products — it can be really tricky . ”
