Toyota Partners with Kymeta on In-Vehicle Satellite Antenna Technology

Toyota Motor Corp. is investing $5 million in Redmond, Wash.-based Kymeta Corp. and has signed an exclusive agreement to develop and test the startup company’s flat satellite antenna technology for automotive applications.

Toyota’s investment is part of Kymeta’s latest $62 million fundraising campaign. The carmaker, which has been conducting joint research with Kymeta for more than two years, has fitted a prototype of the technology on a new research vehicle based on its Mirai fuel-cell car.

Flat antennas allow for increased data transmission and broader coverage areas without having to install traditional bulky satellite receivers, according to the partners. The technology promises to help drive next-generation telematic systems, including streaming movies and games, over-the-air software updates and data sharing with other vehicles and the infrastructure.

In the Mirai, the 6-inch-wide liquid-crystal antennas are installed in the car’s glass roof. The prototype communication system can download satellite data at 50 megabits per second, which is faster than typical LTE wireless services. Transmission speed is expected to be more than one gigabit-per-second within a few years, Kymeta says.