Carjoy first to offer car service on wheels - raises millions

In April, Carjoy launched Sweden's first service with mobile vehicle technicians who go out to the customer and service the car on site. The schedule quickly became fully subscribed and now Skaraborg Invest has decided to invest SEK 1 million to help the company scale up.

- Carjoy is a very exciting development company that works with both service and environmentally smart alternatives. We believe that Carjoy can complement the existing market with its flexible service that is booked at a fixed price. With Carjoy, we can help to maintain jobs in Skaraborg, neighboring areas and in the long run become more, summarizes Christina Helenius, CEO of Skaraborg Invest AB.

Anne-Marie Kaufmann from Skaraborg Invest also takes a seat on Carjoy's board.

- "In Skaraborg Invest, we have a serious ownership partner who knows what it means to build successful companies from ideas. In addition to the necessary capital, we get experience, local network and commitment that will be important additions to our success, says Carjoy's CEO and co-founder Simon Ekstrand.

In early April, Carjoy's service was launched via price comparison site Autobutler and in just a few weeks, around 800 quotes were sent out, with a total value of SEK 2.4 million. The bookings poured in and Carjoy's vehicle technicians had to shuttle between customers. The service is currently available to customers in Skövde, Vara, Lidköping, Gothenburg, Trollhättan, Uddevalla and Vänersborg and the surrounding area, but the aim is for rapid expansion.

Transforming the engineering industry

The plan is to move Carjoy's services to a dedicated mobile application soon. The app will allow customers to register their vehicles, make reservations and choose affordable options with used spare parts.

- We also want to offer service contracts, which work like a subscription, with customers paying a lower monthly amount and avoiding sudden large expenses.

The service of mobile service technicians is already established abroad and used by Tesla, for example. Carjoy is following an international trend, but without being tied to a specific car brand - an all-purpose workshop on wheels - which Simon predicts could soon become the new normal.

- We are changing an industry, albeit on a small scale now, but in the long run this could be the way it is done when servicing and repairing cars.

Want to reduce environmental impact

Carjoy will also eventually be able to offer circular alternatives to its customers to reduce consumption and environmental impact. In collaboration with dismantling companies, they are working on a technical solution to automatically match used spare parts with customers' cars.

- Today, workshops often offer used parts for more expensive items, such as an engine or gearbox, but we also want to preserve wear and tear parts, such as brake discs and AC compressors.

The development from idea to reality has moved at a breathtaking pace. Along for the ride is Simon's childhood friend and IT technician Jonas Aronsson, who is responsible for the digital solutions. Last November, Carjoy won second place in the Innovatum Science Park Startup Challenge business idea competition organized in collaboration with Swedbank. Since January 2022, they have been part of Innovatum Science Park's incubator in Trollhättan.