June 10, 2023 | By Olasubomi Gbenjo | Make Use Of |
As cars get increasingly connected, the internet will change how they operate and how we interact with them.
Cars’ primary function is to move us from one point to another. But what changes when your car can connect to the internet?
As with most items and products that are re-engineered with the Internet of Things (IoT), they become even more powerful and useful in our daily lives.
With the Internet of Things becoming an integral part of many industries, let’s explore how this technology is changing the design and function of modern vehicles.
1. Smartphone and Vehicle Integration
Mirroring your smartphone through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink gives you the same smartphone user experience that you’re used to but displayed directly on your car’s screen, so you don’t actually have to look at your phone while driving. Interestingly, one automotive giant, General Motors, announced it was developing its own smartphone-like in-car operating system that will negate the need for mirroring in the future.
The appeal of having such intelligent and highly connected cars stems from their capacity to facilitate a bidirectional exchange of information. This has already changed how you interact with your car since now your smartphone replaces the traditional key fob while also allowing you to change various settings remotely. From your phone screen, you can also confirm doors are locked or survey the area you’re parked in for any suspicious activity.
In a shared family car, the operating system recognizes each driver based on their phones and individual profiles and adjusts the car settings automatically based on their preference and history.
2. Telematics
Chances are your car has an onboard diagnostic port, which is part of the vehicle’s telematics system. It is a system that monitors your car and collects details such as the speed, mileage, and performance. With IoT, these systems could become even more sophisticated, collecting even more information like how often you use your seat belts or how harshly you brake. With the data it gathers, it creates a unique driving profile.
When connected to the internet, it can share this information in two ways: with you or with your insurance provider. You get all that information on your smartphone, and it could provide insight into what driving habits may be causing damage to your car. Your insurance provider could also access your driver’s profile, and that could shave off a decent percentage of your premium costs if you’ve been adhering to the highest driving standards or help tailor your insurance plan to meet your needs.
Basic forms of this are already implemented in some cars, but this type of tech is sure to improve and become more commonplace in the future. Tesla’s Safety Score monitors your driving and is probably the most advanced such system. It even affects your insurance premiums, so it gives you an incentive to improve your Safety Score, and generally just drive responsibly.
3. Fleet Management
Managing a fleet of vehicles, planning routes, or tracking cargo involves dealing with a huge amount of data, which can be tedious and highly prone to errors. However, modern telematics solutions have systems that can collect a broad range of data, from the precise location of the driver and the condition of the cargo to the speed and mileage of the vehicle.
This offers several benefits for the logistics and fleet management industries. It becomes easier to plan and coordinate trips as well as track progress in real-time. Managers are better equipped to make timely decisions that significantly reduce risks and financial losses.
4. Connected Cars
Another way cars may change for the better with the implementation of IoT in the automotive industry is their capacity to exchange information on the road. Cars will be able to communicate with each other and the surrounding smart infrastructure to prevent accidents and ensure safe and efficient travel.
There’s an equal mix of challenges and benefits associated with connected cars. At tollgates, your car could make instant payments. When your car detects a particular number of cars on a route or notices an accident or obstruction ahead, it can quickly arrange an alternative route to prevent traffic congestion and get you to your destination in good time. This is an evolution of the advanced navigation solutions that we already have access to, and it should make driving safer and easier. However, with improved connectivity will also come increased cybersecurity risks.
5. Autonomous Vehicles
Self-driving cars aren’t much of a myth anymore, thanks to the likes of Tesla and Waymo, but most established automakers already offer reliable semi-autonomous cars and are working on vehicles that won’t need a driver. Modern cars are increasingly equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to enhance driving safety, and these systems could benefit from IoT integration.
While you still need to pay attention, so that you can take over whenever the car encounters an unusual situation, there are already production cars that can complete short trips on the highway with little to no driver assistance, maintain and switch lanes accordingly, and act as a human driver would in a typical driving situation.
You may feel queasy about giving up total control of the car. However, you could regard these systems in your car as a sophisticated driving companion that helps you reach your destination safely by not only driving the vehicle for you but also providing you with information on your surroundings that you would not have otherwise had.
6. Driver Welfare
According to an American Driving Survey report, drivers spent an average of 61 minutes a day driving in 2021, which totaled 90 billion hours at the end of the year. Spending all that time in an IoT-powered vehicle means that your car could also keep an eye on you, the way it observes its surroundings.
Your car could check your vital levels and share that report with you in real time. Some cars already monitor you and can, for instance, detect if you’re distracted and sound an alert to get your attention back on the road. In the future, if the car deems you unfit to drive (like in the event of a medical emergency), it could switch to self-driving to ensure your safety and that of other road users.
Cars can already call emergency services automatically if they detect an accident, but in the future they could contact relevant emergency centers and transmit details of the situation and perhaps your medical records (depending on how integrated your car is with your personal devices). A connected and intelligent onboard first aid system could also be created to assess such situations and dispense quick, accurate medical solutions.
7. Predictive Maintenance System
As your car becomes a part of the Internet of Things, it becomes smart enough to record and track the level of wear on its parts. By doing this, the vehicle will alert you of failures before they happen, minimizing the chance of a breakdown that leaves you stranded.
Car manufacturers can remotely monitor the vehicle’s status and dispatch over-the-air software updates to fix bugs and minor issues. If it’s more serious, the car could pre-order the parts or immediately schedule an appointment with the repair shop.
Conclusion
Technology exists to transform our lives, from simplifying processes to providing more utility. The Internet of Things in the automotive industry certainly does both.
Driving can become less tedious as modern cars offer more valuable features. So, you can enjoy a better navigation system, stay connected, and not worry about valet parking if your autonomous car can park itself.
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