Echo Labs scores $65M to scale a simulation platform for autonomous vehicle UX testing

Tech · 6 min read

Echo Labs announced a $65 million Series B led by Drive Capital to expand SimCityr, a simulation platform designed to validate in-car UX and driver-assist interactions under thousands of virtual scenarios. SimCityr integrates high-fidelity sensor models, occupant behavior scripts, and a UX validation suite for multimodal interactions.

The platform lets automakers run accessibility, distraction, and edge-case testing on HMI flows, including voice interactions and AR HUDs, before hardware prototyping. Echo Labs highlighted the ability to generate statistically meaningful UX regressions across firmware updates and regional variants.

Design teams working on automotive UX can use SimCityr to test behavior across age groups and cultural contexts, improving safety and satisfaction metrics. Proceeds from the round will scale compute infrastructure and add partnerships with test labs for hardware-in-the-loop validation.