The Automotive sector is experiencing a profound transformation, driven by digital innovations that are transforming traditional business models. Digitalization is changing the future of the industry, from the rise of self-driving cars and shared mobility models to custom insurance contracts, remote diagnostics, and predictive repair services.
For example, immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are used in a variety of applications in the Automotive industry. AR is used for designing cars and testing prototypes. On the other hand, VR is implemented for marketing purposes, like creating virtual showrooms and test drives for a better user experience. By combining AR and VR, car companies can improve the user experience and keep customers happy.
The path to success for the automotive industry is also associated with digital transformation, as we are living through a change to a technologically oriented future. Join us as we hit the road together to explore the fascinating ways digital technology is revolutionizing the vehicles we love and use.
IoT in the Automotive Industry
The Automotive sector is one of the biggest and fastest-growing global manufacturing industries. To meet customers' requirements and stay ahead of the competition, automakers must constantly improve and innovate their vehicles' features. This is where the IoT (Internet of Things) enters the game.
Several of the leading global automakers, such as Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Tesla, and Toyota, together with IT giants Google and Apple, have focused on IoT technology implementation in many areas of the Automotive sector.
If you are wondering how IoT has transformed the Automotive industry, we have carefully selected some examples of areas where IoT introduces advanced innovations:
Autonomous vehicle market
A study by Statista shows that the number of autonomous vehicles in the world will surpass 54 million by 2024. What are the benefits of this enormous growth for people? Autonomous cars are not just about comfort and luxury; they also help reduce human errors, which means increased driving safety.
Implementing IoT in automated vehicles already brings innovations in automated driving, parking, braking, and others.
Predictive vehicle maintenance
Imagine that you are going on a long trip in your car. Suddenly, in a place far away from people, you notice that one of the car parts has broken and needs to be replaced. If you're lucky enough to be able to contact someone and find a service nearby, you're saved. But if not? Then you must wait for hours for someone to rescue you.
Fortunately, innovations in technology and the Automotive field help prevent situations like this. Vehicles produced with IoT capabilities include sensors that collect data about the condition of specific parts of the vehicle. The sensors transfer the information to the cloud for predictive analysis.
Drivers can get updated information about their vehicles' pressure, tires, oil level, deterioration, and battery state, decreasing breakdowns and, therefore, preventing accidents. The collected information helps to evaluate the actual conditions of individual parts and entire vehicles and predict when parts need to be repaired, upgraded, or replaced.
Predictive maintenance simplifies drivers' experiences by monitoring performance, notifying the driver about any issues, and advising in advance about any potential repairs or services needed.
Driver monitoring system
Intelligent cars collect information about their drivers, their locations, their routes, traffic patterns, and other things. Using IoT technologies, driver monitoring systems track driver behavior and actions. For example, an IoT-based system can be made to pay attention to how the driver's eyes move. This could prevent a lot of accidents caused by drivers who are too tired to focus.
Also, the system can detect rush-hour driving, distracted driving, and even driver emotions. If the driver is sleepy or messaging while driving, the system notifies the driver through banners, sounds, or vibrations, enabling them to stay focused on the road.
An AI-based driving monitoring system also reports whether the driver is wearing a seatbelt or not and detects cabin occupancy, notifying the driver if any passengers are missing.
Road condition analysis and navigation assistance
One of the most helpful applications of Automotive IoT is road condition analysis and navigation assistance. The system detects road conditions in real-time and notifies the driver in advance about accidents on the road, construction work, speed limits, traffic jams, and others.
Based on the traffic conditions, the system builds the most optimal path for drivers to arrive faster at their destination. Smart routing is the future of navigation apps. Drivers can easily access all necessary information about their routes, including the fastest option, road obstacles, available parking spaces, and others.
Connected cars
Connected cars are one of the biggest trends in Automotive software development. A connected car is a vehicle that communicates with outside systems using the Internet. These systems can include vehicle-to-vehicle communication, GPS, or remotely unlocking your car.
Connected cars facilitate data transmission. A good example is the Tesla car, where you can easily unlock or lock your car and turn on the air conditioner or heating using the app on your smartphone.
One of the trends in mobile apps for the automotive industry is connected cars. The manufacturers apply connected car apps to modern vehicles, for instance, navigation apps, autonomous driving software, and virtual road assistance.
AI in the Car Industry
Over 92 million cars are produced globally per year. There is no wonder why automakers are seeking to implement smart technologies and AI to enhance production. AI is not only changing the vehicles that we use but also the way they are produced and the factories where this is happening.
For instance, smart factories use advanced algorithms and AI to perform tasks like creating schedules, managing workflows, and having robots work alongside humans on assembly lines. That is why giants such as Mercedes, Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla, Volvo, and many other large companies are proactively adopting AI technology to improve production and the customer experience.
Accordingly, automakers are rapidly embracing advanced AI-based software development solutions to realize the ideal version of automated vehicles.
Implementing AI in the Automotive industry has numerous benefits:
- Cost savings: For instance, Volkswagen is using AI to develop a system that can identify defects in car parts during production. The goal is to reduce the cost of repairs by up to 30%.
- Improving fuel efficiency: AI has the potential to lower car pollution and increase fuel economy. For instance, Nissan is utilizing AI to create a smart car that can change its engine power based on the road's circumstances. The main goal is to reduce fuel usage by 20%.
- Smarter traffic management: AI can make the journey simpler and more enjoyable for drivers by managing traffic efficiently, reducing agglomeration on the road, and building alternative routes quickly.
- Enhanced safety: Implementing AI makes driving safer by automating such tasks as parking. With a Tesla car, for instance, the driver needs just to press a button, and the car will do everything that is needed for safe parking. AI has a wide application in the Automotive sector.
Today, automakers use AI to increase manufacturing and supply chain efficiency and make driving more comfortable. Automakers are looking for ways to improve the design and speed up production while improving the car's quality at the same time. On the other hand, customers want to see vehicles that offer pleasant, comfortable, and safe experiences rather than simply getting them from one point to another.
Here are a few examples of where AI-powered systems are implemented in the vehicle manufacturing industry:
Supply Chain
The most popular applications of AI in the Automotive industry are supply chain management and automation. Due to the complex manufacturing process, automakers have complex supply chains in different locations.
They use a variety of machine learning techniques and AI-powered analytics to estimate the demand for components and predict possible changes. Planning and logistics, inventory tracking, and management became more transparent and fast with AI.
Car manufacturing
AI technology is not just making cars smarter and more comfortable. Also, it has influenced car manufacturing. The application of AI robots on assembly lines is becoming more common. Now, robots are working more efficiently than the human workforce in the car manufacturing process.
Robots can also complete human tasks efficiently and accurately. Automakers also use AI-based quality control systems to detect potential defects in parts before they are installed.
Driver Assist
AI in Automotive can assist drivers in protecting themselves against accidents that may happen. Some AI-enabled systems or sensors give alarms to the driver to avoid accidents while driving.
For instance, when the driver is not wearing a seat belt, AI devices enable an alarm sound as an indication to wear a seat belt. Likewise, when the car door is not closed, an alarm sound occurs immediately. Also, when the driver wants to make a dangerous overtake, the AI-based systems don’t allow it.
Have we ever imagined that we would be able to sit behind the steering wheel without driving the car? Automotive technologies are changing and improving due to Artificial Intelligence. Driverless vehicles are also a great application of AI in the Automotive industry. Because we have the best Automotive companies in many locations, the automobile manufacturing process is beyond our expectations.
Cloud Computing in Automotive
The COVID-19 pandemic sped up the digital transformation process, making cloud computing an essential tool. The digital revolution contributed to the expansion of the cloud trend, increasing the effectiveness of early adopters.
For the Automotive sector, the cloud offers the potential for significant improvements in many areas. The cloud can help automakers improve customer relationships, optimize operations, and improve internal business processes. Talking about the Automotive industry, cloud computing can offer numerous benefits, including the following:
Improved security
Applying cloud systems has increased cybersecurity in the Automotive field. Given the continuous availability and monitoring by service providers, the cloud offers security advantages by considerably lowering the risk of failures and breakdowns.
Also, because of the constant backing up of data, businesses can be assured that no important information is lost if a sudden breakdown happens.
Large storage space
Companies in the Automotive field operate with vast amounts of data and information that need to be stored and saved safely. However, if you decide to store data on-premises, you need to buy expensive storage devices.
Smart Automotive cloud computing gives almost unlimited storage space, so businesses can save a huge volume of data. Also, if the needs increase, it is possible to increase the storage space.
Costs saving
One of the most important benefits that cloud computing solutions offer is in terms of maintenance. The on-premises hardware is costly because of the workforce, power usage, and consistent maintenance activity.
But, with the use of the cloud, all these responsibilities are on the service provider, which significantly cuts down the cost of maintenance. The public cloud costs less compared to managing on-premises hardware, and it is the responsibility of your cloud network providers to monitor the system, the updates, and eventually the problems that may arise.
Some of the applications of cloud computing in Automotive are:
Connected cars
As previously mentioned, these vehicles are based on IoT technology, and they can download software upgrades, access and send data about the vehicle, and connect with the driver’s devices.
With the help of connected vehicle cloud platforms, drivers can get insights into vehicle status, optimal driving distances, up-to-date traffic conditions, and others. Connected vehicles are storing and sharing a lot of information, such as data about the car itself, other vehicles, and the surroundings; therefore, they require a large data storage space - the cloud.
In other words, connected vehicle technology enables communication between automobiles, buses, trucks, and other vehicles so that vital information about mobility and safety may be shared between them.
Autonomous cars
To enhance the functionality of the vehicle, cloud computing services are widely used in the field of autonomous cars, which drive automatically by sensing the environment.
The main benefit of autonomous vehicles is that they reduce human error while driving. These cars don’t need human drivers and instead use cameras, sensors, and complex algorithms for driving. Without automated cloud solutions, autonomous cars cannot work.
It is because cars have big memory loads on board, and self-driving cars have many cameras, sensors, and radars that need to store and process information from the outside. Therefore, a cloud can easily provide the high computing power and large online storage that autonomous cars require.
Electric cars
Electric cars run on electric power using an electric motor instead of one that requires fuel. Hence, electric cars are more environmentally friendly. Because they use batteries, electric cars require smart charging stations.
These smart stations require cloud-connected sensors and computer processors that collect data to optimize energy distribution and consumption. The cloud is an excellent solution for storing large amounts of data. Also, cloud computing in cars allows electric cars to exchange data with remote data centers to notify the driver about road conditions and weather.
Future Trends in the Automotive Industry
As technology advances and continually expands the realm of what is possible, we see many industries making innovative strides into the future, and the car industry is no exception.
Biometric technology, for instance, is becoming an integral part of Automotive design. Biometric technologies are used in Automotive for digital recognition, such as fingerprints, face IDs, or eye recognition. You might think: How will that significantly change the Automotive industry?
Biometric technologies can be implemented to improve security, increase accessibility, and enhance the driver’s security. Combined with AI, biometrics will completely change the way we drive. For example, multimodal biometric technology can scan facial expressions, breathing, and heartbeat to identify how the driver is feeling and then adapt the lighting, music, and seats to make the ride more comfortable.
AI and biometrics combined can also be used to increase driving safety. Biometric systems can monitor the driver for things like fatigue, and the AI system could then take over driving or alert the driver so they can pull over.
Another dream that will soon become a reality is getting in your car and flying off to your holiday destination. According to a KPMG Survey, 58% of car industry managers believe that by 2035, flying cars will be available in most major cities.
Flying cars have the potential to revolutionize mobility by offering convenience and safety, as well as environmental benefits. However, there are also several challenges that must be addressed before flying cars become available.
The concept of a flying car is essentially a vehicle that combines the capabilities of both an automobile and an aircraft, allowing it to travel on the ground like a traditional car and take to the skies for aerial transportation. Flying cars should be able to take off and land vertically, eliminating the need for long runways or specialized infrastructure.
Toyota, Airbus, Hyundai, and Kitty Hawk, a project backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, are still in competition to create the first flying car that can be delivered to markets.
The cars of the future will be more powerful than we imagine thanks to Artificial Intelligence, IoT, VR, AR, biometric technologies, and other technological advancements. It’s no secret that technological progress is going to have a significant impact on the future of the car industry and how our society interacts with vehicles.
Concluding remarks
Automotive software development and digital innovation have profoundly impacted the Automotive sector, leading to significant transformations and advancements.
From connected cars to autonomous vehicles, from big data analytics to Artificial Intelligence, the convergence of technology and Automotive has revolutionized the way we perceive transportation.
The integration of cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, VR, AR, and cloud computing has not only made cars smarter but has also led to safer and more sustainable transportation. As the motor industry continues to embrace digital innovation, we can expect to see further exciting developments that will shape the future of mobility.
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