Ethylowheel: a French-made device set to revolutionise drink-driving testing

In France, around 1,000 people die each year in accidents linked to drink-driving. This figure has remained stubbornly stable for decades, despite road safety prevention campaigns. For Jaime Alonso, an engineer trained at the Institut Optique Graduate School, and Julie Bruguière, a graduate of the International Higher Institute of Perfume, Cosmetics and Food Aromatics (ISIPCA) affiliated with the University of Versailles – Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), this observation was the inspiration behind the Ethylowheel project. “We wanted to put technology at the service of people and have a real impact on society,” comments Jaime Alonso. The two co-founders identified a blind spot: existing devices, namely breathalysers with a balloon or electronic ones with disposable mouthpieces, are impractical, costly to use and almost never used at the right time – that is, before starting the vehicle.

From engineering school to the global market

The project to develop a breathalyser that overcomes these limitations was launched in 2019 as part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme (FIE) at the Institut Optique Graduate School, which enables students to develop an entrepreneurial project alongside their studies. Paradoxically, the health crisis proved to be an opportunity, as cancelled work placements freed up two consecutive years, which Jaime Alonso devoted entirely to prototyping and testing on volunteers. Julie Bruguière joined the project in 2020, bringing her expertise to validate the biological and chemical feasibility of the device. The start-up Ethylowheel was officially founded in 2022, the year in which it also signed a €435,000 partnership with the Road Safety Delegation, which is funding research and development.

From technology to product

Between 2022 and 2024, Ethylowheel joined IncubAlliance Paris-Saclay, the public research incubator on the Saclay plateau. Three months of intensive training followed by two years of personalised support gave the two co-founders the tools to structure their entrepreneurial approach: product strategy, value proposition, market access. “We had the technology, but not the know-how to turn it into a business. IncubAlliance Paris-Saclay put us in touch with professionals who had gone down that path before us; that was priceless,” explains Jaime Alonso.

At the same time, the Design Spot of Université Paris-Saclay supported them for nearly eight months on brand identity and the product’s industrial design. “We arrived with rather shapeless prototypes, with a jumble of wires. They transformed them into a harmonious and easy-to-use product; it was an incredible achievement,” recalls Jaime Alonso. From the raw technological building blocks emerges a premium, aesthetically pleasing object, designed to fit in your pocket.

Building a network to accelerate growth

In 2024, the start-up joined the Software Republic industrial accelerator, backed by Renault Group, Dassault Systèmes and Thales, among others, which opened up a network of industrial partners and established its credibility within the mobility and embedded technologies ecosystem. It then moved into the Station F start-up campus in September 2025, where it benefited from one of Europe’s most vibrant start-up ecosystems to prepare for its commercial launch.

A new gesture to replace thirty years of breathalysers

Ethylowheel’s solution is EthyloKey, a compact, connected device that measures blood alcohol levels via skin contact in twenty seconds, without a mouthpiece or complex handling. The device is based on a physiological principle: the imperceptible perspiration of ethanol. A tiny fraction of the alcohol consumed is in fact eliminated through the skin, and ultra-sensitive sensors - which combine measurements of humidity, temperature and gas - detect these molecules in a micro-cavity sealed by the pressure of the thumb. Algorithms correlate the data to provide the user, within twenty seconds, with a three-level result: green (less than 0.2 g/L), orange (0.2 to 0.5 g/L) or red. “We’re not just developing a product; we’re creating a new gesture. For thirty years, people have been blowing into devices; now, they simply place a finger on it.”

The technology is the subject of a patent application in France, covering the entire device, namely the compact mechanical configuration, the multi-sensor assembly and the algorithmic chain for dynamic detection.

A global launch

The manufacture of EthyloKey involves three stages: the casing and mechanical parts are produced in China, the PCB electronic circuit is manufactured in France, where final assembly and the integration of the detection algorithms also take place. The conditions are therefore met to carry the "Made in France" label. Priced at €135 – the same as a fine for drink-driving – the device is primarily aimed at 25–35-year-olds, a demographic particularly concerned by these issues and receptive to technology and road safety.

The launch took place on 8 January 2026, a few hours before the co-founders appeared on the M6 TV show "Qui veut être mon associé?" (Who Wants to Be My Partner?). They then opened pre-orders on the Kickstarter platform, and the initial target was exceeded in less than an hour. In total, more than 2,000 units were pre-ordered from 65 countries in January alone, with 36% of orders coming from the United States and 16% from France. The customer base is split between 70% private individuals and 30% businesses with vehicle fleets or local authorities wishing to incorporate EthyloKey into their prevention policies. The town of Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine) is among the first local authorities to place an order. Deliveries are scheduled for October 2026, following the completion of the first phase of industrialisation.

Expanding into the US

Ethylowheel currently has two employees. Jaime Alonso serves as CEO and Julie Bruguière as Managing Director. An extended team of around ten freelance staff members handles production, press relations, social media and commercial roll-out. The start-up is seeking investors to scale up production to 20,000 units and accelerate its international expansion. It is targeting a market with huge potential, with two billion drivers worldwide, 600 million of whom regularly consume alcohol, and is placing a particular focus on the United States. This development comes at a time when the hardware market is considered quite risky, as industrial production requires significant investment and can involve lengthy lead times. “We want to encourage them to take the risk of supporting an innovation that will save lives on a global scale. The launch has seen tremendous traction right from the first month, so we’re confident,” says Jaime Alonso enthusiastically.

The start-up Ethylowheel will be present on Friday 19 June 2026 at stand 3H19 of Université Paris-Saclay at the Viva Technology 2026 trade fair at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.