Connected & Smart Vehicle Technology

Monali Shah opines, “As we look at the dynamics in Indian cities, we first need to identify what are the top challenges to address and then we can look at what technologies best support those goals. A phased approach makes more sense and is more practical in implementation. For example, we know that accidents often occur because of an unexpected road condition ahead. If we can detect those conditions and alert drivers of safety hazards so they can prevent an accident, this could be a good step forward for improving safety. Traffic congestion is another challenge that can be addressed through the sharing of data from mobile phones and vehicles. Real-time traffic data can be processed and delivered to both vehicles and traffic management centres to better manage congestion. These solutions have been implemented in other countries where connectivity exists.”

Sirish Batchu adds, “More and more people are opting for the model where they do not get into the hassle of owning a car, the vehicle, but they get it on-demand. Going ahead, mobility as a service is going to be one of the key trends which will pick up. It should be a big threat for the OEMs per se, especially for the car makers and vehicle makers in the personal mobility space where they will have to tune into that direction but in India particularly it is a little far away, say five to ten years. But still, this is the trend that is going to stay. It is imperative for us to look at such kind of a model where we are making the vehicles not for the end-buyer in the mind or end-user but more as an enterprise. The collaboration between Ola and Mahindra which was initiated last year has been a clear indicator of the enterprise rule that is required.”

Future of Connected Car Technology

The opportunities presented by telematics and connected cars are limitless. However, to harness these evolving technologies, organizations require a platform designed to manage and understand the massive amount of data generated by our increasingly connected world. Deploying connected car solutions will allow any organization to enter the emerging telematics and connected car market with less risk, quicker deployment, and lower costs.

Batchu says, “I see a lot more penetration coming in the market, a lot more adoption happening and it will rise exponentially because right now there is a huge rush from a number of OEMs. I would say, 30 to 40 percent of the vehicles practically will be connected. And, when I say connected, it could be different levels of features for different segments. It need not be seen as a very high-end luxury kind of a connectivity feature. Through Digisense at Mahindra, we have been able to bring this to all the vehicle segments and at a very affordable price point and we already see a lot of churning in the industry or disturbance in the industry where other OEMs are taking cognisance of this. There is a huge momentum towards matching this or bettering this from the other OEMs. I would say it is going to pick up pretty exponentially in the coming years.”

Monali Shah concludes, “The number of cars on the road with embedded connectivity will steadily increase in the years to come. With this functionality, we are going to deliver data services that create an incredibly vivid depiction of the road environment, over-the-air map updates, vehicle diagnostics, and high definition maps that will enable safer driving and enhanced traffic congestion management.”