Internet of Things solutions is developing and becoming more advanced day by day while ensuring greater experience. We all know IoT has become part of almost every sector and has made an imprinting remark in the automotive industry, says Ritesh Sutaria of Prompt.

It has been estimated that vehicles will have more than 163 million active IoT connections by 2025. This means that the automotive market will be most exposed to IoT innovations.

Well, this might not surprise you because IoT already offers many advantages, specifically in the automotive area. For example, IoT has been used to enhance the navigation and make driving easier and safer, which has opened new opportunities for supply chain companies.

Any idea about automotive IoT solutions and who benefits?

When we say automotive IoT solutions, we mean connected vehicles. The major feature of connected vehicles is that they have internet connectivity, providing an opportunity to send and receive data. Accessorised with an onboard computer, the vehicle updates software to the latest version to assure full safety, fix bugs, get traffic information, and proper map navigation.

A connected car can also interact with other devices connected to the internet. There will be wifi connections for passengers to get better connectivity and experience.

Like other IoT-enabled devices, a connected car can also collect data to get the analytical potential for businesses.

An IoT product installed in the car can be used to provide connectivity and establish robust connections and exchanges between drivers, operators, clients, and other road users.

Telematics allows real-time tracking of the vehicle’s location, controlling its speed and performance, collecting third-party data to improve navigation, collision prevention, etc. It is easy and possible to equip with sensors in any vehicle spare part, and it opens significant possibilities for monitoring the vehicle’s condition and driver’s behavior. The cost of sensors and a complete IoT system is decreasing with time, and introducing new technology in the market will bring improvement and better services.

How will connected vehicles improve driving?

A connected vehicle uses wireless networks to connect to nearby devices. Generally, smart vehicles connect to the internet via WLAN, to cellular networks like 2G, 3G, and 4G, etc., and use GPS to track their location. Today, top automotive companies invest in the development of the 5G as it will improve the future of IoT in automotive.

As per Gartner, automotive manufacturing will be the main 5G IoT solutions market, which would mark around 53% of the total 5G IoT endpoint market.

Besides this, IoT sensors installed in vehicles are also important as they are used to measure the vehicle’s status. For instance, in case of low battery or engine deterioration, sensors send signals using the internet to inform the driver about it. Cars also have cameras which help in parking and collision prevention.

Nevertheless, the IoT vehicle should be created with considerable onboard computing power capable of supporting telematics, environment connections, and infotainment.

Automotive IoT solutions for transportation companies:

In logistics, companies can utilise the benefits provided by IoT solutions effectively. Transportation companies can get real-time information about the location of vehicles and cargo along with driver’s health and environmental conditions using IoT solutions.

Let us know the benefits received by the transportation companies when they adopt IoT solutions:

• Effectual fleet management: Implanting IoT sensors in the vehicle will ease the way to monitor fuel and oil levels, current location, tire pressure, driving style, and other parameters to check its efficiency. Tracking vehicle in real-time allows the company to accumulate more control over the transportation process and lowers the risk to drivers. This also makes it easy to comply with all safety and environmental regulations.
• Predictive maintenance: Gathering vehicle data using sensors helps forecast possible breakdowns. For example, when equipment begins to crack, it starts making noises or vibrations, possibly indicating that failure is likely to happen soon. By skipping the sudden breakdowns, companies can skip sudden loss and reputational risks. It is observed that downtime usually costs about $450 (€439.46) to $750 (€732.44) for the vehicle per day at least. Predictive maintenance technology is connected with machine learning algorithms and provides more precise forecasts of vehicle failures over time.
• Optimal route planning: Having access to the internet and interacting with other drivers or the road infrastructure, companies can get information about the optimal directions to avoid accidents, unpleasant weather conditions, slow speed modes, and traffic jams. Real-time internet access offers a fast connection between managers, clients, and drivers and even ensures choosing the shortest route to reach the destination early and safely.
• Actual cargo status. Equipping cargo and vehicles with sensors allows the company to observe environmental conditions to regulate temperature, humidity, and many other measures to guard the cargo. It has become easy to monitor delicate cargo and pick suitable fall protection conditions.
• Driver status monitoring. IoT automotive solutions provide details and insights into driving styles and can inform the aggressive driving pattern. We know that if the driver makes some sudden moves like sharply picking up or slowing down, this can impact the car’s condition and the driver’s health. Sensors can detect inefficiencies in driving style like excessive idling and can send prompt warnings to the owner. If the driver has to drive in difficult conditions like long distances or unpleasant weather conditions, they can wear wearables to measure health status in real-time.

Logistics and transportation companies embracing IoT solutions are the centre of attraction for the clients as they provide a better experience and promise high transparency. The company can enable clients with limited access to the system to see all the processes and get notified if something goes wrong.

Automotive IoT solutions for end-users:

In 2014, as per Mckinsey, 65% of car buyers in the 35 age group considered connectivity a crucial factor when choosing a car. They also shared that entertainment is another essential function of the car. With the growing power of millennials, the demand for the connected car has increased. In 2020, more than 13 million connected cars were sold, meaning more than 91% of all cars were sold. Big companies are investing immensely in connected vehicles.

No doubt, connected cars offer more safety and services to the drivers. The connected car can enhance the following functions for the driver:

• infotainment
• navigation
• safety
• diagnostics and efficiency
• payments

Obviously, entertainment has become a major function of the connected car, but another function on the priority list of millennial buyers is controlling the car from a distance. It includes features like remote parking in narrow spaces, starting and stopping the engine, closing and opening the car doors, etc. The possibility of quick communication with the car, the driver’s response time, and reactions become prompt. If ever car theft happens, real-time location monitoring will help to get it back. A smart car with various sensors can track the existing issues and inform the driver when to go for maintenance. Not just this, paying the road toll charges has become more convenient.

The connected vehicles utilise the local environment and communicate with cloud-based platforms.

These smart cars can connect to the following objects:

• Infrastructure: Smart cars enable the driver to get information from the infrastructure in the environment like street signs, traffic lights, parking, school zones, lane markers, etc. The collected data informs the driver about the optimal route to skip traffic jams, bad weather, accident, etc.
• Another vehicle: Interaction with other cars allows the driver to get traffic details. All the road users can connect to the internet to share important data with each other to promise a safer journey. This feature is essential for self-driving cars.
• Cloud: Cloud provides a platform to store a huge amount of data for future analysis. It also assists cars in getting updates, identifying issues, and connecting with available IoT-enabled devices.
• Pedestrians. Installed sensors can also inform the drivers about the pedestrians and cyclists present on the road. This advanced safety system prevents traffic accidents.

When the connected car combines all the above connectivity, it is called Vehicle to Everything connectivity, or V2X. Most large companies are currently investing in the development of this direction.

Automotive IoT solutions for the manufacturing process:

The main factor for vehicle manufacturers is to know about the car’s usage level, vehicle health, driving behavior, EV charging patterns, and other strong and weak sides to improve the car and its systems.

Connected vehicles send all the information mentioned above to the manufacturing company that can be used for analysing user experience. It is possible by combining technologies such as IoT sensors, big data, and cloud computing. Companies can use information like vehicle usage patterns to develop a more informed business strategy to boost sales. This makes it possible to consider the user issues at the design stage. This also helps companies to improve performance and cut unnecessary costs while developing automotive production.

Companies can utilise Industrial IoT solutions at any phase of manufacturing processes, shifting the traditional factory into advanced Factory 4.0 by optimising the production operation within the company to save money and provide more affordable products.

Wrapping up:

Connected devices are changing our lives, and there is a long way to go. The automotive sensors are advancing with the pace by updating connectivity standards, adding new ways of communication, and installing sensors in entire cities.

Automotive IoT solution provides benefits to various sectors:

1. Car owners can use the connected car to increase comfort and safety.
2. Logistics companies use IoT solutions to manage full information on vehicle status, provide the cargo’s safety, and increase customers’ trust.
3. Automotive manufacturers can get precise vehicle information to create more informed business strategies.

The author is Ritesh Sutaria of Prompt.

About the author

I am working at Prompt to disrupt the dairy industry. My job is to design smart solutions for farmers and the dairy ecosystem. Heading the Biggest IT Integration in the history of the Dairy Industry called Amul AMCS. It proffers an absolute solution to Village Dairy Cooperative Societies that embark on digital transformation.

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