eLichens, the digital air pollution alert, will be at CES 2018 with ENGIE

Q- Hello Marc, can you give us an introduction to eLichens?

MA- eLichens is a startup created in 2014. Our goal is to provide relevant and comprehensive information to our users about the quality of the air we breathe. eLichens has developed a platform that calculates and above all predicts air quality at previously unmatched levels of precision.
To obtain these forecasts, eLichens integrates sensors that were first developed internally with connected stations and a set of software that brings together information from the connected stations and pollutant dispersion models.
Based on expert models of gas dispersion, and helped by data collected by the network of stations, we are the only company that offers an integrated solution from the sensor to the software solution. We work to optimize costs and deploy things quickly.
 
Q- Do you analyze indoor or outdoor air quality?

MA- We have a dual approach covering both internal and external air quality.
Indoor air quality requires a specific approach, because if there is pollution inside we can suggest solutions, scenarios based on the quality of the air outside. If outdoor air quality is good, just air out the building. On the other hand, if the quality of the outside air is bad, you need to recycle indoor air and that has a cost.

The outdoor approach is more about giving information to communities, manufacturers, and citizens to raise awareness of the importance of this problem. We know that even if actions are taken, it takes several years to measure their impact. There is currently a real need among citizens to understand how to live in an environment that pollution is making more and more hostile to good health and wellbeing.

We work in the B2B sector, in industry and security. We are in contact with manufacturers to whom we provide our sensors and connected stations for them to integrate into their products.
We are also present in the smart home sector, the automotive industry and with smart city providers. For example, we offer solutions to meter manufacturers to detect gas leaks to provide optimized and intelligent gas network management solutions.
For smart cities, we work with companies like Engie that offer urban infrastructure to cities and communities.
 
Q- What will you be showing at CES?

MA- We will show a complete air quality monitoring solution in Paris and Las Vegas. We have connected stations in Paris, and we have plans to install a connected station in Las Vegas. We want to show the quality of the air in real time in these two cities.
We will highlight the concentrations of different gases, with scenarios showing the impact of stopping traffic in different places. We will also be able to provide air quality forecasts.
Visitors will be able to use our app to calculate their commute that causes the least pollution, visualize the impact of their movements on air quality, and see how air quality affects citizens: for example the impact of ozone on people with asthma.
 
Q- Tell me about your backstory with ENGIE.

MA- We started a proof of concept in Paris, which is currently being rolled out. We currently have many ongoing projects with ENGIE all over the world to develop air quality monitoring solutions.
 
Q- What do you expect to get from participating in CES?

MA- CES gives us the opportunity to see everything that will be launched during the following year. Every year, we detect new projects and new concepts. We met ENGIE for the first time at CES two years ago.
This year, we hope to find new partners to deploy our solutions in the United States and Asia.
 
Q- In your opinion, what is the innovation that has most contributed to changing life?

MA- For me it is the dematerialization and the instantaneity that allow new devices to connect us to each other. The mobile phone has replaced cameras, GPS, mail... This revolutionizes everyday life.
 
Q- Anything else you would you like to add?

MA- I would like to talk about the relationship between a big group like ENGIE and a startup like eLichens.
That kind of collaboration can sometimes be complicated because of the opposition of two radically different cultures between a multinational like ENGIE, where processes are very long, versus much shorter cycles for a startup like eLichens.
Collaborating with groups like ENGIE is a way to accelerate our technical and commercial development. So it is therefore essential for us to work with companies like ENGIE, and we are happy to be present at its booth at CES 2018.

More about eLichens