ELE Times PDF 1 Nov 2016 | Page 32

Smart Automotive Smart Automotive Telematics Road to Intelligent Transportation in India Ashish Gulati | Country Head Telit India The next big thing after consumer electronics, computers, and mobile phones is the “Internet of Things” (IoT) which connects all of them in a homogenous way so that they can talk to each other. An important component of IoT is Vehicle Telematics, an IoT application, an ecosystem in which real-time information and data available in vehicles is brought together seamlessly to provide rich and rewarding experiences to customers and businesses. Vehicle telematics has already evolved from “plain vanilla” location data for vehicle tracking or navigational applications to enterprise applications that harness data and analytics. Telematics services are enabling new driving experiences delivered through continuous connectivity. Services include a variety of entertainment, traffic and navigation services as well as car maintenance and safety features. All these services together add up to what is also called the “Connected Car”.With the increasingly connected lifestyle of today’s consumer, drive time is one of the few places or times when the vehicle owner experiences limited access to connected assets. While some of us may reminisce fondly about a less connected lifestyle, the bulk of drivers have come to expect a robust connected experience anywhere and everywhere – and automakers are responding to these changes. Real time access to data in the vehicle by definition promises an enhanced driving experience. As a result, automakers are pushing for more and more connectivity both within the vehicle itself to deliver enhanced “pilot” data to the driver, as well as connectivity to the Internet for traffic and infotainment. Smart modules now address automakers’ growing demand for high-speed mobile data connectivity to support applications like advan ced diagnostics, infotainment and remote software updates. These modules have the ability to run complex applications without an external processor ELE Times | 32 | November, 2016 making it an ideal solution for the car makers to optimize cost and simplify manufacturing. Applications closely related to the data connection like hackdetection and prevention, dead-reckoning navigation, and software revision control and re-flashing for the ECU and other onboard electronic control units can all be developed or ported to run in these modules. Automakers that fully embrace telematics will be able to streamline operations, improve product quality and strengthen the customer connection to their brand – converting one-time product sales into long-term service oriented relationships. This is the road ahead to greater profitability and competitive advantage for manufacturers, OEMs and other stakeholders in the massive global automotive ecosystem.